Terms and Conditions
by rckyfrk
Summary: It was Beth's first time in Atlanta by herself when the world decided to end. When she lost her way home, she winds up meeting a crossbow-toting man with steel blue eyes and a smile that gives her chills. This is not your typical Bethyl story - imagine if Daryl were more like Merle.
1. Chapter 1

It all happened so fast. Beth had been so excited to be able to go to Atlanta all on her own to meet up with some friends for a birthday shopping spree. Her mom had given Beth her credit card to use, asking her to keep it under $200. It was supposed to be such a great day.

One minute she was doing her best to navigate the streets of downtown Atlanta, listening carefully to her phone's GPS directions, her favorite CD playing softly in the background. The next minute, when the last track played, she ejected the disc and went to replace it, the radio station came through the speakers as she did so; a message from the Emergency Broadcast System was warning everyone to vacate major cities and take shelter, making sure the avoid any suspicious looking people.

Beth's heart began beating in her throat. A glance at the sidewalks on either side of her showed a flood of people running in and out of buildings. Several people were carrying bundles of clothes, others sacks of food. She nearly screamed when the first round of gunshots went off and nervously checked and rechecked that the car's doors were all locked. She frantically grabbed her phone and reversed the directions to get back home.

The only response her phone gave her was the little spinning circle of doom. Apparently no connection could be made. She looked around in panic, trying to find a way to turn back toward the interstate that would take her home. Traffic crawled along, cars pulling haphazardly from lane to lane, everyone out for themselves. More and more pedestrians were walking between cars now with little to no regard for their own safety.

She almost threw up when she realized they were all gravely injured, all of them with a vacant yet hungry look on their faces, all of them with fresh looking bite marks – wounds that no one should be able to survive and be able to walk around with. She checked to make sure her doors were locked one more time before ignoring the traffic light in front of her and sped into the intersection, determined to get herself to safety.

She found herself in the industrial part of town, certain that somewhere nearby would be a turn off to get onto the interstate. Any highway would suffice at this point; Beth just wanted to get home. Finally she found the interstate, but the traffic built up to get to the on-ramp was backed up for several blocks on each side. She resigned herself to waiting, knowing that no amount of honking or revving her engine would help matters. Instead she tried again and again to reach her parents on the house phone, but again, the phone couldn't connect – "All circuits are busy," the voice on the other line told her. Beth began to pray, trying to keep calm, realizing that getting herself worked up would only make things worse.

Hours passed before her tires finally touched the pavement of the interstate. The cars around her inched along, but she figured any movement was good. She'd at least been smart enough to turn off the car each time they stopped in an effort to save gas. The downside to that was she was forced to roll down her windows in the stifling Georgia heat. She forced herself to only roll them down an inch or so to keep anyone from being able to reach in and grab at her – something she'd seen plenty of on her way out of the downtown area.

The highway wound away from the city and toward farmland and wooded areas, none of which looked familiar to Beth. The sun was high in the sky, beating down from directly above her, and Beth was positively sweltering in her car. She opened her sunroof, knowing that it would only let more sun in, but would hopefully let some of the hot and humid air out and provide a little more circulation. She rummaged through her messenger bag, thankful she thought to grab a granola bar and bottle of water before she left this morning. She wasn't hungry, not yet, but it was good to know they were there.

The cars ahead were no longer moving. Beth watched as more and more people got out of their cars, trying to glean any information from those just as clueless around them. Some even began unpacking their cars and walking, figuring that would be the only way they'd make any progress getting away from the city. The thought crossed Beth's mind, but without any kind of map and no way of knowing how to get back home from this particular highway, she decided to stay put and hope for the best.

Hours had passed, and the granola bar was starting to sound awfully tempting. Then she heard them. The screams. The groans. It was like a horror movie her brother Shawn had forced her to watch, but these weren't monsters – they were people.

'Were' was apparently the key word. A glance in her rearview mirror became a prolonged stare as she watched a man try to fight off another bite victim...and lose. She sat horrified, unable to look away, as the attacker _ate_ the man...while he was still screaming for help. These were not human beings but some kind of monster, and Beth was absolutely terrified.

Beth scrunched down in her seat and sat stock still, praying that if she didn't move, no one would see her. She was wrong.

A pair of bloody hands slammed against her window, clawing at the opening, accompanied by a gaping mouth between them, growling and gnashing its teeth. Beth couldn't help but let out a scream of sheer terror, which only riled it up even further. She looked to the passenger door to escape, but saw a second attacker had found her, this one a woman several years older than she was. She stayed in her seat, praying that they'd just leave on their own. Beth pulled her messenger bag into her lap, squeezed her eyes shut, and prayed.

It was the sound of glass cracking that forced her eyes open again. Another of these human monsters had joined the first on her left and together they were about to shatter her window.

Beth tried taking deep breaths, fighting the panic rising in her, looking for anything she could use to protect herself, but there was nothing. She could picture the baseball bat sitting in her trunk – a fat lot of good it did her there. She leaned her head back against the seat's headrest and looked up, saying one last prayer...

...before climbing through her sunroof.

There on the roof of her car, she was at least out of her attackers' reach, but she couldn't stay there forever. She noticed that they moved relatively slowly and decided she could try outrunning them. She vaulted onto the hood of her trunk and slid onto the pavement, making a beeline for the side of the highway, over the barricade lining the road, and into the woods beyond.

She ran...and ran...and ran. Never in her life did she think she'd be thankful for Coach Hanratty for making her class run the mile twice a week for the last three years of her high school career. She focused on breathing and ignored the burning in her legs. Finally she could run no further and was forced to stop to catch her breath.

Even though she was standing in place, she was constantly in motion, looking for people, whether they were monsters to run from or others like her that might help her survive. Seeing no one, she tried to think of what to do next. The sun was starting to get low in the sky, and as far as she knew, there was no shelter nearby – none that she knew would be safe anyway. Her best option appeared to be finding a tree to climb and get high enough to be out of the reach of anything...or anyone.

She spent the night in the crook of a large Georgia Maple, nibbling on her granola bar and sipping on her bottle of water to make them last as long as she could. She had hardly slept at all, afraid of what might happen if she were to close her eyes. As the night passed, she watched as different forest critters scampered here and there below her. One human monster walked right under her tree, but didn't seem to notice her, which she considered a blessing.

Her stomach was beginning to make god-awful noises; in fact, her entire abdomen was one big ball of pain. She hadn't gone to the bathroom in hours and her bladder felt like it was about to burst. Taking one more look at her surroundings, she deemed it safe enough to climb down and relieve herself.

When she had finished, biting back a sigh, she stood up and pulled up her shorts.

"Well, well, well. Lookie what we got here." A voice with a rough southern drawl surprised her from behind. She gasped loudly, her scream choked off by the fear coursing through her.

Standing before her was a man pointing a crossbow at her, though not necessarily aiming it at her. He was older than her by at least fifteen years, with steel blue eyes, and hair that looked like he'd cut it himself with a knife rather than scissors. Aside from the weapon he held comfortably in his arms, the most dangerous part about him was the smile that crossed his features.

"Please," she said softly, trying not to cry and show this man just how scared she was, "please, don't hurt me. I need help. I was in Atlanta trying to get home and I got lost and I'm hungry and I don't know..."

"Save it," he barked, lowering his crossbow and stepping through the brush toward her. Beth automatically stepped back, only to have her back meet the tree behind her. He laughed at her startled gasp and continued advancing on her. He looked her up and down, and it gave her a bad feeling in her gut. "You got anything? Any weapons? Food?"

"No, sir."

"Tell you what," he said after a long moment. "Y'all can come back with me. We got a group o' people, men, women and children, up by the quarry, holdin' out til this blows over. I'll take care a ya, won't let none o' them fuckers get ya."

Beth let out the breath she'd been holding since he'd shown up. "Oh my gosh, thank you! Really, I..."

"Hey, hey, blondie," he interrupted again. "Don't get too excited. I ain't no knight in shining armor here. Ain't nothing comes for free," he said, looking her over once again. She felt like he was sizing her up for something, and she fought the shiver threatening to overtake her body.

"I...I can cook," she stammered. "And sew." Maybe her small skillset would make him see her as more than what she thought he was.

The man nodded. "Well," he began, the lecherous grin returning to his face, "I'm sure we can work something out."


	2. Chapter 2

**We are picking up immediately from where we left off last chapter. I just want to remind you lovely readers that everything in this story will be consensual, but reluctance plays a big part. Please keep in mind that I love Beth and Daryl so so much and never want anything bad to happen to either of them. Also please remember that I'm a sucker for happy endings, and while this may not be the fluffiest story ever, it'll all be okay in the end.**

 **Thank you for all the support I've gotten so far, for all the comments, favorites and followers. It all means so very much to me - it really does! And without any further ado...**

He looked her over once more. "How old're you, anyways?" Daryl asked, narrowing his eyes.

Beth frowned, not sure why that mattered, "I just turned eighteen."

Daryl nodded, apparently pleased with her answer, then started walking down an unseen path. He turned and called over his shoulder, "This way. Try not to make too much noise."

His steps through the forest were so sure and nearly silent that it took a lot of effort for Beth not only to keep up with him, but to do her best and stay quiet. After close to an hour of following him, she finally spoke. "Sir? I've only had a granola bar since yesterday morning. I don't think I can go much further."

"Well, what the hell you want, a piggy back?" he shot back at her, though he'd stopped to give her a chance to catch her breath.

"I...I was hoping you might have something to eat?" She felt stupid asking, but her head was starting to spin and her legs could barely support her anymore, not to mention the nauseous, shaky feeling spreading from her stomach and the cold sweat that was forming on the back of her neck.

He shot her a mean look, "I look like a damn 7-Eleven to you?" He sighed heavily and pushed her back against a tree, then down on her shoulder, plopping her on the ground. "Wait here. Don't move." Beth couldn't help but close her eyes, exhaustion rushing through her. She might have even fallen asleep, though within minutes the man had returned, holding a red bandana wrapped around what ended up being several berries. She looked up at him with a questioning look. "Don't worry, they're safe. I ain't gonna poison you. The hell you take me for?"

Beth carefully took the small bundle from him, whispering a "thank you," and forced herself to eat the fruit slowly, letting each berry burst on her tongue, savoring the tart flavor. After a few minutes, she let the berries sit in her lap and took a long look at her would-be protector while he was busy keeping watch. She decided he wasn't awful looking, just...rough. His whole persona seemed guarded and on edge, yet comfortable enough in his surroundings, as if he'd led a hard life and these human monsters now plaguing the earth were just one more thing to deal with. Finally she broke the silence. "What's your name?"

He turned and looked at her, studying her for a minute before answering. "Daryl. Dixon," he added after a pause. It was the kindest his voice had sounded so far.

"Daryl," she repeated back to him. "I'm Beth. Beth Greene." She would have offered her hand for a handshake as she was taught, trying to be polite, but he was several steps away and didn't seem interested in moving any closer or all that interested in keeping up formalities like manners. "You from Atlanta?"

"Nah."

"Oh," she said quietly. "Me neither. My daddy has a farm just outside of Senoia." He only grunted in response. "You really know how to use that thing?" He stared at her, not giving an answer. "Your crossbow. I've never seen anyone who actually knows how to shoot one. My daddy and Otis, he's one of our neighbors, they both have..."

"You talk too damn much," he cut her off.

"I'm sorry," she whispered and continued eating her berries. "Did you want any?" she asked before she started gobbling the whole pile down.

"Nah."

Beth sighed and quietly finished her meal, having a one-sided mental conversation with Daryl as she ate, wanting to tell him that while she may talk a lot, at least she was trying to be friendly. When she'd eaten the last berry, she stood up and brushed off her backside; she looked up and saw that Daryl had already continued walking through the brush, somehow knowing exactly where he was going, so she rushed to catch up with him. She tapped him on the shoulder, startling him momentarily, and handed him his bandana. He only scoffed and stuffed the fabric into the back pocket of his jeans before setting off through the woods again.

Along the way, Daryl would pause and aim his crossbow at seemingly nothing, but each time he stopped and fired, he'd go and retrieve the bolt, instructing her to stay where she was, and he would return with a freshly killed squirrel tied to a rope that was now slung over his arm. It looked like he had quite a few already, and Beth wondered just how many people he was going to be sharing them with. She was also curious how squirrel tasted, and figured she'd be finding out later that evening when they reached his camp.

They finally broke through the tree line into a large clearing filled with tents, cars, clothes lines, small fire pits, and even an RV. There were close to twenty people occupying the area doing various tasks around the camp, though Daryl didn't bother introducing Beth to any of them. She noticed they were set up in small groups, most likely families who'd escaped together, many of them with children. Several watched her as she followed Daryl through the camp, most looking scared, none showing any signs of welcome.

Daryl led her to a small, well-used tent on the edge of the clearing, dropping off his rope of squirrels with an older, bearded man sitting outside the RV along the way. "Home, sweet home," he grumbled as he held the flap open for Beth to crawl through.

Inside there were two sleeping bags, an assortment of knives and guns lining the walls of the tent, two large duffle bags, and not much else. There was a distinctly masculine odor that Beth guessed no amount of Febreeze would ever get out. "You an' me'll share that one," he mumbled, gesturing to the sleeping bag on the left.

"Share?" Beth asked nervously. He looked at her with a raised eyebrow, giving her the feeling that she should have known before he'd even said anything. "Who uses the other one?"

"M'brother, Merle," he said as he set his crossbow down in the corner nearest the entrance. He dug through one of the bags and pulled out a Ziploc baggie half full of beef jerky, which she almost missed when he tossed it to her. "I'm sure you'll meet him soon enough." Beth wasn't sure she liked the sound of that. "Don't worry, he won't bite. 'Less ya wan' him to," he added as an afterthought. She definitely didn't like what he was implying.

"Is, um...is that your clothes?" she gestured at the duffel bag at the foot of his sleeping bag, trying to change the subject.

"Yeah," he grunted as he sat and stretched out on the sleeping bag, crossing one ankle over the other almost as a show of carefree confidence, like a display of authority within those nylon walls.

"Do you have any detergent?" She hadn't noticed a bottle anywhere.

"Ain't got none. Maybe one of the ladies in camp'll let ya use some a theirs."

Beth sat nervously near his feet, tucking her knees up under her chin. "Will you show me where they do laundry?"

"Ain't gonna be tonight. 'Sides, ain't got that much ta worry about just yet anyhow."

She took a piece of jerky out of the packaging and bit into it. As she chewed, she tried to sneak a peek into the duffel bag, seeing mostly hints of flannel of various colors. Beth looked over her shoulder at him with a sudden realization, "I don't have anything. No clothes or anything. Just what I got on now."

Daryl was nonchalantly picking at his fingernails, propping himself up on one elbow. "Figured as much. Couple guys are talkin' 'bout makin' a run into town in a couple days, pick up some blankets, food, anythin' they can find, really. I'll see if they can't get ya somethin'." He nodded at the duffel bag, "If ya need ta, ya can borrow whatever I got that'll fit ya." He finally looked up, letting his eyes meet hers, that same wicked grin crossing his face. "For a price," he added on.

Beth was suddenly hyperaware of her shirt, soaked with sweat and sticking to her skin, and miles from being laundry fresh. She gulped down her nervousness to ask, "What...what do you want?"

"Just a little kiss, darlin'" he answered, obviously trying to make his request sound innocent.

Beth's mouth went dry. "I..." she stammered, "I have a boyfriend."

Daryl's eyebrows shot up, "Already? Here at camp? Damn, girl, you move fast."

"No," she shook her head, "at home."

He sat up a little straighter, "Guess you didn't hear when I said, 'Home, sweet home,' didja? 'Sides, any little boy toy you got back on the farm is prob'ly half-eaten by now."

"I...I can't...I'm..."

"Hey," he said conciliatorily, "ya don't hafta change if ya don't want to. Hell, you don't even hafta stay with me...though I'm not sure anyone else is gonna wanna take in another mouth ta feed or one more person to watch over. Come ta think of it, me an' Merle prob'ly gonna do most-a the huntin' anyway, and ain't none a them gonna be able ta keep ya safer'n me." He chuckled, "Hell, they were still shootin' them fuckers in the chest til me an' Merle taught 'em different. It's gotta be the brain," he told her, pointing two fingers at his temple. "Most of 'em can't aim for shit, so the damn things gotta get right up on 'em before they can kill 'em." He shot her a look letting her know exactly what he thought of the rest of the inhabitants of the camp.

Beth sat there, nervously working her lower lip between her teeth, realizing just what she'd gotten herself into. "You said we could work something out...back in the forest where you found me. What...what did you mean?"

Daryl gave her a knowing look, one that sent chills down her spine. "Me an' you," he said, no trace of that smile on his stern face any longer. "I figure I keep you safe, keep you fed, three meals a day, you cook what I bring back, take care of laundry when we need it, and us..." he nodded at the sleeping bag, "three times a week...unless you end up wantin' more."

"Th...three times?"

"Well, damn girl," he started to get angry, his voice raising in volume, "three meals a day for three times a week? I think I'm bein' more than generous. I'll even go easy on ya and say it don't even have to be us bumpin' uglies. Long as you can get me off, we'll be even."

Neither of them spoke or moved for several minutes, Daryl apparently giving her time to think it over. Judging by the looks she got while she was walking through the camp, he was right – no one was going to be too thrilled at having to provide for her, regardless of any skills she might have. Leaving on her own wasn't even an option; she had no idea where she was or what direction she needed to go to even get close to finding her family again...if they were still alive, not to mention she had no way of defending or feeding herself. Still, she'd never done much more than kissing with any of her boyfriends (not that there were all that many to begin with). Now she was supposed to do _that_ with basically a stranger? 'He said I just have to get him off...maybe I can stop us from doing that long enough to find my family,' she thought.

How else was she supposed to survive?

Accepting her ate, she whispered, "Can...can I change into one of your shirts?" not trusting her voice to come out without shaking.

He smirked and leaned across her to drag the duffel bag in front of him. As he did, they were suddenly incredibly close, and her heart started beating in her throat. He dug through the bag and pulled out a flannel button down shirt with the sleeves ripped off and dropped it in her lap. "That oughta work. You can do that thing where ya tie it off if it's too long on ya."

Beth picked up the garment and stood up, turning to face the corner in an effort to keep some of her modesty while she changed.

"Ah-ah-ah," he sing-songed mockingly. "Pay up, princess."

She turned around to see him standing, that wicked grin back on his face. Hands shaking, heart racing, she took timid steps forward until she was squared off with him in the middle of the tent. Beth scrunched her eyes shut and went up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the cheek.

"You wanna try that again? Hardly worth a nice clean shirt, don't ya think?"

She puffed out a breath in an attempt to keep herself from crying, then tilted her chin up with her eyes closed, waiting for him to kiss her like he apparently wanted to. She expected him to be rough, demanding, forceful, and braced herself for the worst.

Instead, the kiss was light, at least at the beginning. His lips were deceptively soft, as were the hands that slid up her arms and rested on the sides of her neck; his forefingers ran along the length of her jawline, his thumbs grazing over the apple of her cheeks. He ever so slightly tilted her head opposite his, in complete control as he applied more pressure to her lips. He caught her lower lip between hers, nipping at her ever so slightly with his teeth as he moaned against her.

He pulled away, only to murmur, "Come on, princess. I can't be doin' all the work here," before kissing her again.

She brought up a shaky hand and gently curled her fingers into the fabric of his shirt, if anything just for something to hold on to. She pushed her mouth against his, kissing him back, letting her lips barely slip apart before he took advantage and licked into her mouth, his tongue just brushing against hers. He tasted of cigarettes, but there was something else, something spicy and warm, that had her tentatively seek out his tongue again. She felt him smile against her before he claimed her mouth, though not overbearingly so. He pulled back, ending the kiss, dropping one last peck on her now swollen lips.

Beth took a shaky breath in and released it slowly. No one had ever kissed her like that before. If she weren't so terrified of what this man could do to her, and what he was already doing to her, she would have sworn she felt...something...something that wasn't anything like the disgust she thought she would feel...should be feeling.

Neither of them moved from where they stood. Daryl only gestured with his chin toward the corner. "Go ahead and get changed. Gonna go clean a couple squirrels for ya to cook up for dinner." His voice was a low growl, but there wasn't a trace of threat in it.

Beth nodded, numbly, and moved with shaky knees back to the corner. She pulled her arms out of her sleeves, leaving the body of the shirt to hang from her neck, keeping her chest decently covered, as she shoved her arms into the arm holes of Daryl's flannel. She had just pulled her sweaty and grimy shirt over her head and started buttoning the flannel when someone yanked the tent flap open and burst in with a loud yet raspy voice.

"Hoo-ee, baby brother, what we got here?"

 **Thank you for reading - please leave a review!**


	3. Chapter 3

Beth spun around and gasped, wrapping the front panels of the shirt tightly around her torso, hiding her body the best she could. The man before her was older than Daryl by at least ten years and built much stockier. Even if he hadn't called Daryl his baby brother, she'd have known the two men were related by the same steely blue eyes that Daryl had and the same gruffness they carried.

Merle was now sizing her up, even going so far as licking his lips while he did so. "Where you come from, sugar tits? Ain't seen you 'round camp before."

Daryl moved in front of her, putting himself between the two of them. "Leave 'er alone, Merle. She ain't none a yer concern."

"Wha'? I's just askin' where she came from," he defended. "'Sides, she's in my tent, I say that makes 'er my concern."

"No," Daryl said flatly, "it doesn't."

Merle smirked at him, gauging his brother's reactions so far. He peered over Daryl's shoulder to talk to Beth, "What's yer name, girlie?"

"It _ain't_ yer..." Daryl cut himself off when he felt Beth's hand on his shoulder and turned to look at her.

By this time she'd buttoned her shirt, so she felt comfortable enough to walk out from behind Daryl. "I'm Beth."

Merle's face split with a devilish smile, "Now, was that so hard?" He glanced back over to Daryl with a look of mocking pride. "So, ya finally got yerself a piece a tail that weren't one of my hand me downs. The hell'd you come from?" he directed at her, still glancing back and forth between the two of them as if to see what kind of reaction he could get out of Daryl.

"Found 'er in the woods," Daryl growled out through clenched teeth.

Merle released a loud belly laugh. "Well, ain't you a sweet one, savin' a pretty little thing like this from the biters an' bringin 'er back fer ol' Merle."

Daryl straightened his back and squared his shoulders. "She ain't fer you."

The smile left Merle's face without a trace. "Now hold on there, baby brother, you know the rules. Everythin' we got, we share."

"Not her." There was no misunderstanding his tone – this was non-negotiable.

"Now look here, boy. I didn't mean at the same time. Hell, looks like she's got a lot to learn, anyhow. Didn't know you were into young'uns. Tell you what. You let ol' Merle break 'er in, then you can..."

The rest of his plan was lost when Daryl punched him square in the mouth. Merle glared daggers at him as he righted himself and wiped the blood from his split lip with the back of his hand. Beth took a step back behind Daryl, not wanting to get caught in the middle if they started fighting. "The fuck you thinkin', boy?"

"I said, _not...her._ We got...an arrangement."

Beth felt a rush of heat cross her cheeks when he said that. Even if he hadn't gone into detail, hearing it said out loud had made Beth feel shameful. What was worse was that Daryl was clearly holding up his end of the bargain, protecting her from even his own brother, so she'd have no choice now but to accept his terms.

Merle spat on the ground and mumbled something along the lines of "pussy-whipped bastard" as he threw the flap of the tent open and stormed outside.

Daryl turned and glared at Beth, who could only blink back at him. "Tonight," he said after a moment, his voice low and gravelly, leaving no room for discussion, and nodded toward the sleeping bag. "And you don't leave my side the rest of the day." Beth nodded, breathing shallow to try to keep herself from crying. She followed when Daryl left the tent, through the clearing to the RV parked on the edge of the camping area.

The same bearded man was sitting in his lawn chair. He'd been untying the squirrels Daryl had dropped off with him. "Didn't get a chance to thank ya earlier," he said with an easy smile, "but on behalf of the rest of us, thanks for dinner." He looked over at Beth, "Who do we have here?"

"This's Beth," Daryl mumbled. "Found 'er lost in the woods. She's gonna be stayin' with me."

The older man's eyebrows shot up, high on his forehead, but if he thought anything ill of Daryl's statement, he didn't make it known other than that. "Beth," he said with the same easy smile. "Dale Horvath," he said as he stood and offered a hand for her to shake. Beth gave a tiny smile and shook the man's hand, returning to Daryl's side when they had finished.

"Just came by ta grab a couple a these for dinner," Daryl explained, gesturing to the squirrels laying on the ground.

"Of course," Dale answered. "You did the work, you get first pick." Daryl scoffed and grabbed two from the pile and headed back to his tent.

"What about Merle?" Beth wondered out loud.

Daryl snorted, "He can get his own damn dinner." He turned to face her, "Ya ain't gotta do shit fer him. It ain't his ass gonna be keepin' you alive." He held the squirrels out to her by their tails, "You ever skin one 'a these before?"

Beth shook her head, "No. Never cooked anything over a campfire besides marshmallows, either. Daddy always brought a grill when we went camping."

Daryl rolled his eyes before fixing her with a look of incredulity. Nonetheless, he gave her a crash course in preparing food over the open flame, making sure she knew how to start a fire herself for the next day. "We keep the flame pretty small. Don't wanna attract any attention from walkers or other people." Beth did her best to commit everything he was telling her to memory, asking questions along the way. To his credit, Daryl answered all of them patiently. Once they'd both finished eating, Daryl motioned for them to return to the tent.

Beth's stomach was in knots, her heart pounding nervously. He'd said he was expecting something from her tonight – did he mean sex right away? Would he be okay with her working her way up to that? What was she willing to do instead? She stayed out of his way as he got their side of the tent ready for bed, unrolling the sleeping bag and opening up the zipper and laying it flat so there would be room for both.

"Too damn hot to sleep bundled up in that thing anyway," he muttered. "Not that he'll try anything, but I'd rather have it so Merle'd have to go through me to get to you, so hop in," he gestured at the sleeping bag. Beth tiptoed into the makeshift bed while Daryl grumbled, "Asshole thinks I'm sharin' you with him he's got another thing comin'." She fought a chill that threatened to run down her back at the mere idea of such a thing actually happening and was glad Daryl was of the same mind as she was on the matter. He made an impatient sound and she hurried to the far side of the sleeping bag, up against the tent wall, and sat, not sure what to do next.

Beth started to untie her shoes when he stopped her, "What the hell you think yer doin'?" She blinked up at him, not seeing her apparently obvious mistake. "Only an idiot takes their shoes off when yer sleepin' outside. The hell you gonna do if somethin' comes up an' attacks the camp? Ask 'em to wait fer you ta tie yer shoes?" Beth bit her lip, trying not to cry for what seemed like the millionth time that day.

She looked up at him through watery eyes, trying to work up an apology, her breath hitching in her throat as she watched him unbuckle his belt and undo his pants, but left the rest of his clothes, including his boots, where they were before settling next to her. He only had one pillow, though it was so flat it could hardly be recognized as such anymore, on which he plopped his head on, then looked up at her expectantly. "Let's go, princess," he muttered when she still didn't move. She timidly lowered herself, resting her head next to his on the tiny cushion, laying on her back and staring up at the tent ceiling, the only light coming from the dying fire not far from the entrance to the tent.

She flinched when she felt his finger trace up and down the length of her arm, his knuckles grazing along her side, and tried to focus her breathing so she wouldn't pass out from fear. When she felt brave enough, she turned her head to face him, finding him waiting for her already, his lips seeking hers immediately. The kiss was like the one they shared before – possessive, but not forceful. The man might be rough and tough, lacking in manners and social cues, but his kisses...she'd never felt anything like them. After a moment or two, she found herself unable to stop herself from kissing him back, opening to him when he sought entrance to her mouth. Her body began to betray her reluctance and turned to face him; her hand came up to rest on his chest, feeling his muscles move beneath her fingers as he dropped an arm around her, pulling her closer to him.

She pulled back instantly, her hand attempting to push him away, when he started to roll on top of her. "Wait," she pleaded, but the rest of her thought was lost to a loud gasp as he attached his lips to her throat and he began teasing her sensitive skin with his teeth and tongue. She whimpered as he continued, up and down the side of her neck, gulping in air as he made his way down to the base of her throat and up the other side of her neck. She realized that by doing so, he'd succeeded in placing himself above her, his broad chest covering her torso entirely, but the sensations he was causing with his mouth against her skin were too strong, too good, too electric for her to even think about resisting.

Daryl may have been rough and tough, an obviously skilled hunter and fighter, and maybe even rude and crude in his demeanor, but there was no denying he was definitely talented at what he was doing right now, drawing out sensations she'd never experienced before. This was a man who knew what he was doing, and though she knew she should be fearful of what he was requiring of her, she somehow found herself becoming more and more at ease with him.

He lifted himself off her and laid down on his side so they were facing each other again, his strong arm still wrapped around her. His hand cupped the back of her head, his fingers threading themselves through her tangled hair, pulling ever so slightly as he deepened the kiss. He released her to trail his fingers down her throat, still a little sensitive from his ministrations, over her shoulder, before landing on her breast. She ripped her lips away from his, gasping loudly and trying to wriggle away, but that was the only response she could get out before he covered her mouth with his again. He whispered against her lips, "Relax. You can touch me too, ya know," before sealing another kiss over her mouth.

She felt him gently squeeze her breast again; somewhere in the back of her mind, she was forced to admit that if she hadn't been so scared, making out with basically a stranger, it would have felt good...really good. That same part reminded her that this man had taken her in, fed her, clothed her, and even defended her against his own brother; he couldn't be _that_ bad – there was at least some good in him. If he'd wanted more from her already, she had no doubt he could force her into doing whatever he wanted, but instead he was taking his time with her, which helped, in a very confusing way. She realized he most likely wasn't acting under any kind of romantic notions, but that he was just good at what he does.

Still.

Her mind once again gave control over to her body, allowing it to act on instinct. She placed a hesitant hand on his shoulder and over his bicep, noticing the strength he held there. "Not there," he murmured, taking her wrist and dragging it down his body, stopping when her palm reached the waistband of his boxers.

Beth's eyes snapped open as she took in another gasp of air. Her fingers were resting on his very much aroused member, hot and hard even through the fabric of his underwear. She pulled her hand away, and he didn't make any move to force it back to where he had put it. Instead he started nibbling on her neck again and kneading her breast through his flannel shirt. "Daryl, I..." but no words found their way past her tongue. She remembered their deal, that as long as she could get him off, he'd be satisfied. She swallowed, though her mouth was suddenly dry anyway, and slowly returned her hand to where he'd left it.

Her fingers cupped around the width of him. She didn't have anything to really compare it to – she'd never gone nearly this far with her boyfriend at home – but she guessed he was bigger than average, whatever that meant. She tentatively moved her hand up and down, her fingertips tracing the length of him before reaching the base of his penis. She realized the tip was brushing against her forearm, just past her wrist, indicating that he was...long. She'd never seen a man up close like this, had never seen a dirty movie; the only reference she had was the diagrams in her health and biology books at school. Beth was nervous, scared in fact, and yet intrigued by the feel of him beneath her fingers.

She began to rub up and down his length in short little strokes, gradually increasing in tempo as she became more comfortable with the feel of him in her hand. Daryl started rocking his hips in time with her hand until he ground out, "C'mon, girl, quit teasin'."

She was confused as to what more he wanted. Was he expecting sex because he was so hard already? She started to pull away, but Daryl caught her wrist and brought it back toward his body, sighing impatiently, this time guiding her hand down the front of his boxers, releasing her when her knuckles had reached the elastic waistband.

Beth closed her eyes, not that she could see much in the dim light anyway, and let her fingers wrap around him, her thumb barely able to reach her fingertips. He moaned heavily in her ear, so she figured she must have done something right. Something about the sound gave her a kind of thrill, one she couldn't explain. She knew the mechanics of sex and what he wanted her to do, so she took a breath and forced herself to move her hand along his length, wanting to get this whole thing over with.

As she continued to pump his cock with her hand, he began to move in time with her, rocking his hips to match her rhythm. His moans were interrupted by him whispering tiny praises to her – "Yeah, that's it," and "Mmm, that's good." Occasionally he would tell her to squeeze a little tighter or move a little faster, and she followed his instructions as best as she could. At some point, he had returned his hand to her chest, playing with her breasts in turn, though she figured it was purely for his benefit.

He was breathing heavily in her ear while she was concentrating on keeping her hand moving and her eyes dry. Finally he started to whisper harshly, "'M gonna come, girl. Gonna come all over yer little hand." She felt his hot release stream out of him and onto her wrist and forearm as he let out a strangled sigh against her neck. She grimaced at the feel of it, but made sure her only other reaction was to carefully release him and pull her hand out of his shorts, not quite sure what to do with the mess on her arm.

Before she could move too far, he put his hand on her hip, "Don't move." He rolled onto his back and felt around with his hand for a few seconds before returning to her with some kind of cloth. He reached for her hand and cleaned off the white stickiness from her skin before tossing the cloth back to the opposite side of the tent.

"Was...did you use one of Merle's shirts to...?"

"Asshole needs to learn to put his shit away," he murmured. Beth thought she might have heard a lightness to his voice, as if he were smiling or even holding back a laugh. She thought it was an awful thing to do – she would never do something like that to her own brother – but didn't want to risk making him mad by admonishing him, so she decided staying quiet would be best. When he'd finished and tossed the cloth into a corner of the tent, Daryl rolled to his side with his back facing her, and within minutes was softly snoring, without a word of thanks or even a brief 'good night.'

Beth was left with nothing to do but face the tent wall and lose herself in her thoughts, silent tears streaming down to the pillow beneath her. She wasn't sure exactly why she was crying; she was scared, that was for sure, and wanted nothing more than to just go home, hoping against all odds that her family was still alive and safe, but there was something more, just under the surface. Her first sexual act had been with a stranger, which made her feel dirty and cheap. Even if they hadn't actually had sex, she felt some kind of loss of innocence. She knew she wasn't left with many other options, that this was how she was going to survive, at least for the time being, but she felt she had betrayed some unspoken oath, and would only have to continue to chip away at it if she wanted to go on living.

She realized what she really wanted was some kind of comfort, even from Daryl, even if it was just to return his arms around her and hold her until she slept. Instead she just felt...used.

'No, Bethy,' she thought to herself. 'This is part of the deal. This is what has to happen right now. Until you can find a way out of this little arrangement, this is your life now. Keep him happy with your hand, let him keep touching and kissing you, and just survive until you can somehow make your way back home...or find another way to get by without him. This isn't love, it's not even lust. It's just...what has to be.'

She ignored the memory of feeling his lips on hers and on her neck, his hand gently kneading her breast. She ignored the strange pull, low in her belly, as she remembered his low growls in her ear – the ones that just moments ago had sent a thrill down her spine. She ignored the memory of how he felt in her hand, how his skin felt against her palm as it slid up and down his length. She ignored the confusion as she realized she already missed his arms being around her. She fought it all into a dark corner of her mind and focused on finding sleep.

 **Thanks for reading - please take a moment to leave a review and let me know what you think!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Warning: In keeping Merle in character, I was forced to use some pretty racist words in this chapter. I do apologize if this offends anyone – I certainly don't enjoy doing it. I tried to use things that Merle said on the show himself, though one I'm using is actually from BDS 2. Again, I'm sorry, but I want to be accurate to Merle's character, to get the full effect of the Beth's little world right now.**

Beth woke the next morning to an empty tent, though she could hear Daryl's gruff voice just outside; he was having a conversation with Merle.

"I just figured you two needed a night ta get acquainted. She's a sweet little thing...any good in the sack?"

"Shut up, Merle," Daryl mumbled.

Merle laughed brazenly, "You mean ta tell me it's the god damn end o' the world and ya still can't seal the deal?"

"Fuck you, man."

"'At's a damn shame, brother. Ya sure ya don't need me to ta talk ya through it?" Beth heard the sound of a punch landing against skin, followed by Merle's laugh again. "That the best you got? No wonder yer so damn cranky this mornin'. Failin' ta perform all over, huh?" Another laugh from Merle, more silence from Daryl. "You best watch it with her, though. I bet she's a screamer. Sweet little thing like that, I bet she's wound up so damn tight...damn. You sure you ain't gonna share? After all I done fer you?"

"All you done?!" Daryl sounded outraged. Beth heard him puff out a breath as Merle crowed in laughter. It was very similar to the reaction she would give her own brother, Shawn, when he was trying to get her riled up. She realized that while Daryl was trying his hardest to stand up to his older brother, he knew when it was best to just let something go and let Merle think he'd won. She wished he'd say something more about not sharing her, just for her own benefit, but was only left with disappointment when their conversation changed topic.

"Spent some time yesterday scopin' out everyone's shit around here." Beth hoped he wasn't being literal. "Some folks are just damn stupid when it comes ta packin'. Most of 'em just got clothes and a couple bags a food. Nothin' really of value, but it ain't like we can trade shit in anymore. Still, we act soon, we'll be able ta have ourselves a feast, courtesy of the jackholes in this camp." Beth was puzzled at that. Daryl and Merle were clearly capable of taking care of themselves, both being hunters – experienced hunters at that – and didn't have to worry about where their next meal would come from. Were they planning on trading so they had more to eat than just roasted squirrel?

Merle continued, "Gotta wait a while, though. That dick Walsh over there seems ta think the fires in Atlanta oughta be out by now, so a couple people thinkin' 'bout goin' in ta town, see if they can't get some supplies no one thought ta bring. That blonde bitch is hellbent on goin', the spic an' the chink, plus them two niggers. Apparently that's their A team, save fer Walsh." Beth cringed at Merle's language, her stomach actually growing queasy because of it, but stayed quiet, trying to glean all she could from their conversation. "I figure I'll volunteer, tell 'em they'll need someone who knows how to actually shoot to keep the biters off of 'em since Walsh ain't leavin' his little sweetie-pie."

"The hell am I supposed to do?" Daryl demanded quietly.

"Play nice, baby brother, play nice. See if ya can't get on everyone's good side so they don't see it comin' when we make off with all their shit. Hell, use blondie ta help if ya gotta. She seems _real_ friendly."

Beth couldn't help but gasp when she heard their plan. How could people be so terrible as to rob others when they were all facing the same hardships? She had wanted to believe that there was some good in Daryl for him to even offer to take care of her, even if it was for a price, but now, hearing this, she had serious doubt filling her mind. The fact that they were planning on using her to put their hideous plan into action made her feel sick to her stomach.

The brothers stopped their conversation short, apparently having heard her; Beth nearly jumped when the tent flap was pulled open and Daryl stepped in halfway and found her sitting up and awake. "'Bout time," he said with feigned ignorance, nodding his head outside, indicating that it was time for Beth to get up and get going. She was more afraid of them now that she knew their intentions for the group than she was when she had agreed to the terms of Daryl's promise to keep her safe. Now she wondered just how sincere he really was about that after all.

He took her into the woods so she could relieve herself, not giving her nearly as much privacy as she would have liked, but at least he turned his back to her. He muttered something about a walker coming out of nowhere and biting her ass. She made a point to get her business done as quickly as possible after that.

Later that morning, a blonde woman came up to them as they ate and introduced herself as Andrea, offering to take Beth around to meet the rest of the camp since Daryl had neglected to do so. Daryl nodded and followed silently, apparently not trusting anyone in the camp even for a few minutes. She met most people in the group and tried to remember all of their names – not that Daryl was likely to let her converse with them regularly, but she hoped for the small miracle anyway. Everyone seemed friendly enough. She noticed the camp was largely made up of two types of people: those who were simply waiting for the world to return to normal, for the government and military to come in and wipe out this plague of human monsters, and those who had already given up and were terrified of what their futures held for them.

Daryl was busy talking to Deputy Walsh – Shane, if she remembered correctly – when Andrea hurriedly whispered, "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

Beth looked at her, confused. "No. He hasn't done anything to..."

"Honey," Andrea started, then dug into her back pocket to produce a compact mirror. Beth took it from her warily and opened it, skeptically looking at her reflection. All she noticed was that her hair now resembled a rat's nest, her eyes were puffy from crying the night before, not to mention the dark circles which had grown over the past two nights. "It's bad enough the way Ed treats Carol. If Daryl is hurting you, we can figure something out."

Beth still didn't see why Andrea was so upset. Did she think he had given her a black eye? Did she really look that bad? Had she figured out their arrangement and assumed he was forcing her to do things for him? Beth didn't really want to go into the details with this woman, but she had to say something. There had to be some good in Daryl, though she had to admit it might be difficult to see it. Still, it bothered her that Andrea would jump to such a conclusion – was Daryl really the type of man who would become violent with her if she didn't do what he wanted.

A voice inside her told her the idea was pretty far from the truth.

She lowered the mirror to close it and hand it back to Andrea when she saw just what had the woman so upset: two noticeable hickeys on either side of her neck. They were huge, an ugly shade of angry purple, and if she looked close, she could almost make out teeth marks.

"Oh my god," she whispered as she examined them. She had no idea they were there; it wasn't like Merle or Daryl were all too concerned with their appearance, so she wouldn't have seen them in any mirror until now. She was humiliated, and at the same time furious. Daryl had let her walk around camp, unknowingly showing off his mark on her.

Beth handed the mirror back to Andrea with shaky fingers. "Thank you," her voice shook. "He hasn't hurt me, I promise. It's...it's okay." She tried to sound convincing while pulling the collar of the flannel shirt closed.

Andrea looked at her, clearly not convinced. "If you need anything, _anything_ , come find me. We'll figure something out," she repeated. Beth nodded, noticing Daryl making his way back to her, ready to escort her back to their tent.

Despite how absolutely livid she was, Beth held her tongue until they were inside, and even then, didn't let her voice above a loud whisper. "What the _hell_ did you do?!"

Daryl frowned and shrugged one shoulder. "Told Walsh I was planning on goin' huntin' for somethin' bigger'n squirrels an' rabbits in a couple days, asked 'im to keep an eye on ya," he replied, stowing his crossbow in the corner of the tent.

"Not _that_ ," she hissed, opening the collar of her shirt back up, exposing her marked flesh. "This." She was beside herself with anger. "You let me walk around the camp, meeting everyone with _these_ on my neck?"

His lips curled in a tiny, self-assured grin, "Guess I did." He stood as straight as he could in the tiny tent. "An' yeah, I s'pose everyone saw 'em. Now they know..."

Beth waited a few seconds for him to finish his thought, but prodded for something, anything, when he didn't continue. "What? What do they know? 'Cause I'll tell you what they think. They think you're forcing me to do god knows what and beating me or...strangling me if I don't and...who knows what else." She stopped herself short. Why was she so upset that they would think those things of him? Where was all this coming from? She should be angry at him for leaving those damn hickeys on her neck in the first place, and she was, but she found herself angrier at Andrea that she would automatically assume the worst about Daryl.

'Maybe it's because you know that deep down he's not a bad guy. Yes, you're in this crazy situation with him, but he's not necessarily forcing you, and he's given you a way to make it work for the both of you. He could have just left you for dead back there in the forest. You wouldn't have noticed him if he hadn't started talking to you. He's saving your life, but he's in it for himself, too.' The same voice from earlier was resounding from deep inside her and rang through her head.

Daryl met her heated glare with his own, "The fuck do I care what they think? Dumbasses ain't gonna do shit, anyway, 'cept bitch an' moan." He took a step toward her, and another. Beth never faltered, even when they were sharing the same breath because they were standing so close together. "I put 'em there so they know yer with me," he growled out. "I don't know these assholes from Adam. You may not like me, but you don't know what any of _them_ are capable of, and neither do I. I do know Walsh ain't wearin' a ring, but the bitch he's bangin' is, an' that little boy ain't his, it's his best friend's, so do the math on that one. I know that Asian kid is real sneaky, been runnin' ta the city an' back, an' he always comes back without a scratch an' no one followin' him. Seems odd for a city boy like him. I know that fucker Ed keeps his woman on a short leash, an' it _ain't_ for her protection. I know what's-his-name on the other side of camp is real twitchy, and that Andrea's got a big mouth on her – hear her talk about how we all gotta work together equally, how she was some hot shit lawyer, fighting for civil rights an' all that shit. Like any of that shit even matters anymore."

He cupped her cheeks in his hands; Beth was surprised at how gently he handled her – a vast difference from the anger he was showing just a second ago. He carefully tilted her head to the side, fully exposing his "handiwork," examining it, letting his fingertips drift over them carefully. His voice was soft and low, "I left these so anyone who sees 'em knows if they mess with you, they're gonna be messin' with me. I can't keep havin' ya follow me around all the time, an' this is the only way I could think to protect you."

Beth blinked up at him. She hadn't thought of that. She just assumed it was some Neanderthal behavior, claiming his possessions or something like that, which in a way it was, but it was also much more. "You could just give me a gun or a knife or something," she muttered.

Daryl scoffed and stepped back, releasing her. "Ain't givin' you shit without training ya first."

"You'll...you'd train me to fight?" she asked softly. She noticed he wasn't opposed to her having a weapon.

Daryl rolled his eyes. "Fuck."

.oOo.

The next several days followed much the same pattern as the first. Daryl would always be awake before her, sometimes even gruffly waking her up if he felt she was sleeping too long. He would provide her with a quick breakfast, usually a few handfuls of berries or a granola bar someone else in the camp had given them in exchange for providing those at the camp with fresh meat the past few days. He'd spend most of his day hunting. Sometimes he brought her along, and she'd try to learn all she could from him, not that he was actively teaching her anything. Still, she attempted to mimic the way he moved through the forest, walking as quietly as she could. She asked once more about a weapon for herself, but her only answer from him was, "Gotta train ya first." She wondered if and when that would ever happen.

Andrea came around again one morning with her sister, Amy. "I noticed you just have the one outfit, thought maybe you'd like to have something else to wear," the younger woman said, offering her a small bundle of clothes. Beth took them gratefully, hugging them each in turn with her free arm. It was strange wearing someone else's underwear, but faced with the choice between that and the same pair she'd been wearing all week...or going commando...she decided she could suck it up and deal.

Daryl had kept true to his word and only asked for Beth's "services" twice more since he brought her to the camp. She was relieved when he was apparently satisfied with her just using her hand. It did not escape her that each time he let her know, in his own not-so-subtle way, it was time to uphold her end of their arrangement that Merle was nowhere to be found. She wondered if it was an understanding the brothers had, or if Daryl had just timed it out to use their time alone while Merle was out doing God knows what. The nights in between, Daryl began draping an arm around her waist as they fell asleep. "Just in case," he mumbled against the crown of her head. She guessed it was to make sure Merle didn't try anything, but the older Dixon had never said or done anything, at least not in her presence.

A week had gone by, and when Beth saw the other half of the tent empty at nightfall, she predicted that Daryl would be asking for her, and judging by the growing intensity of his kisses, considered herself correct. He only ever started kissing her on nights like this, when they were alone with no chance of being interrupted, otherwise he barely touched her, save for a hand at the small of her back when he escorted her into the woods in the mornings, and she suspected that was mainly for show.

That tiny voice from deep within lamented the fact that he didn't kiss her more often, didn't hold her afterwards, didn't even try touching her except in the heat of the moment. Each time her thoughts went down that road, she quickly fought to get them on track again.

Without his asking, she started trailing her hand toward his crotch. She knew she didn't owe him any favors (at least not any more than she was already giving him), but Beth supposed she wanted to show her gratitude for his keeping her safe and fed this past week – not to mention recently starting to show her how to properly handle a knife. She also knew he could demand a lot more than what he was asking, and she was more than grateful that he hadn't changed the stipulations of their agreement as the week went on. Initiating a hand job might just encourage him to keep treating her a little nicer than he had been.

Daryl reached down and wrapped his fingers around her wrist, stopping her in her tracks. "Gettin' a little tired 'a you jerkin' me off," he murmured against her lips.

Beth's eyes snapped open, her body froze against his. Her blood ran cold and she wasn't sure if her heart was still beating. "Daryl..." she managed to get out, but any other words died on the tip of her tongue.

"'Sides, I'mma be leavin' for a long hunt tomorrow," he whispered, shifting so he was partially covering her with his torso. "Want somethin' that'll tide me over more'n a couple days."

Beth's breath came in deep, heavy puffs as he began his work reinforcing his marks on either side of her neck. He rolled his body to cover hers, his knee separating her thighs. He kept his weight off her, supporting himself on his elbows, but that didn't stop his pelvis from settling heavily on her thigh; she felt the now familiar length of him resting there between them, could feel the heat of him even through the fabric of his boxers and her shorts. He brought one hand up to knead her breast over her shirt, but then pushed himself off her, still straddling her leg, to start pulling the hem of the blouse over her shirt, exposing her torso, only her bra keeping her from being totally naked from the waist up. He leaned back down to cover her, kissing, licking, nipping her from collar bone to belly button and back. "Wanna show me them titties, girl?" he asked as he sat back on his knees, his eyes drinking her in.

Her gut reaction was to scream, to tell him no, that she didn't want to show him anything, to bend her leg to knee him in the groin and try to escape...but where would she go? After spending a week with these people, she knew someone in the group would most likely take her in, but everyone basically depended on Daryl and Merle for fresh food, not to mention protection, and she was terrified that if she were to fight him and run, Daryl would start bringing less food back.

Or worse.

Maybe he just wanted to look. Maybe he didn't want sex. If she hadn't been so scared, she would have rolled her eyes at the thought. Of course he wanted to have sex. Did she really think she could keep him satisfied just by touching him a couple times a week? Still, maybe she could put it off for a little while longer, and if seeing her topless helped, then she'd let him. They were just boobs, and it wasn't like she had a lot to offer anyway. She pushed herself up onto one elbow and reached behind her, undoing the clasp of her bra then shyly guided the straps off her shoulders until the whole thing slid off and rested on her belly.

Daryl grinned at her, his devilish grin she hadn't quite gotten used to, still torn between being afraid of and attracted to him because of it. He bent over her again, sealing his lips over hers, his tongue seeking entrance. She felt his hand land on the curve of her waist and inch its way toward her chest. He palmed her breast, squeezing gently, causing her to gasp into his mouth. If he thought anything of her being so small, he didn't show it in any way; in fact, he let a little more of his weight sink down onto her.

His mouth trailed rough kisses down her jaw, her neck, over her collarbones, then wrapped itself around her nipple. She arched under him as her body took over, even though her mind was pleading with her to tell him to stop, that she wasn't ready for this, that she didn't want this. The growing warmth low in her belly indicated otherwise, and her arm moved on its own volition to bring her hand to timidly run her fingers through his hair as he swirled and lapped his tongue against the sensitive peak, only to abandon it in search of its twin.

The sensations coursing through her were completely foreign and confusing. She barely knew this man, and yet he seemed to know how to control her body better than she did. She found herself absolutely panting, more from anticipation than any kind of fear, though the thought of how far this might go had her completely terrified.

All that snapped into sheer panic when his hand drifted back down her waist and began toying with the waistband of her shorts.

"I ain't in the habit of forcin' women," he lifted his head to look up at her, "and I ain't plannin' to start now. But you just keep in mind that I was doin' fine jerkin' myself off before you came along. Gonna need to make it worth my time at least once in a while, girl." He dipped down to suckle her nipple once more, teasing and stretching it in a way that made her shudder in pain, fear...and unexpected lust.

It had come to this: do or die, quite honestly in the literal sense. She hated being forced to choose between her sense of propriety and her sense of self-preservation. She quickly reasoned that she'd been living with Daryl for over a week now, had gotten to know him – at least as much as he was willing to let her – so he wasn't necessarily a stranger anymore. This wasn't any kind of casual sex. This was survival.

Her mind made up, but her heart breaking, she scrunched her eyes shut and slipped her thumbs under the elastic of her shorts and underwear and pushed them down past her hips. Daryl pulled them down the rest of the way, and she choked back a sob when she felt the palms of his hands on her knees, easing them apart, exposing herself to him.

He settled himself in the cradle of her body, still clothed, and began rocking against her. He continued kissing her neck, his thumb found her nipple again and drew tight circles around it. Before long, his hand trailed down her body again and found her, coaxing the seam of her sex open with one finger. He began to tease her opening – never rough, never forced – drawing out the wetness that hid within. He inserted one finger, slowly, all the way to his knuckles. Beth bucked at the unfamiliar pressure, but clenched her jaw, not wanting to make any noise and give anyone nearby a clue as to what was taking place inside their tent.

His groan overshadowed her sharp gasp and the squeak that escaped from her throat when he added a second finger.

Apparently satisfied with how ready she was – physically, at least – he leaned back and pulled his boxers halfway down his thighs, then lined himself up with her entrance. He paused and looked up at her, waiting for...something. Beth realized he was silently asking her permission one last time. At this point, she felt she almost had to go through with it. Wouldn't it just upset him if she were to stop him now? What kind of repercussions would that entail for her? So she just nodded, and let her eyes focus on the seams of the tent above her.

In one swift stroke, Beth Greene was no longer a virgin.

 **Thank you for reading - please take a a moment to review.**

 **I promise the next chapter is almost finished.**


	5. Chapter 5

**I want to thank everyone for their continued support for this story. I know it's a really different dynamic, one that takes some getting used to, and you have all been** ** _fabulous_** **in giving this a chance. I had a couple of you ask if we'd ever get to see Daryl's point of view. In all honesty, I really hadn't planned on it, but once you'd mentioned it, it really made sense to do this chapter following Daryl instead of Beth, so thank you.**

She was tight. _Shit_ , she was tight. Tighter than Daryl thought humanly possible. He positioned her legs around his waist so he could angle himself into her better, and focused on not hammering away at her, even though _God_ that's all he wanted to do. A pussy like that...a man could get lost in.

She didn't say much, which, in hindsight, should have stuck out to him as strange. The girl talked his ear off most of the time, but _now_ she got quiet. He figured she just didn't want anyone to hear her. The most she said was, "Daryl...please..." which only served to stoke his ego. _Girl was begging for more...just might have to oblige._

He had planned to pull out, cum all over her belly and those perky little tits. Just the thought of covering her like that made him nearly lose control. But _fuck_ she was wrapped around his dick like a goddamn glove, hugging every inch of him, he just couldn't help himself. Most girls like her were on the pill or something anyway, right?

It didn't last long. Not that it was embarrassingly short or anything, but it wasn't like he was really trying for anything more than getting his rocks off. Sure, he could have let her just use her hand again – girl did a good enough job at that – but he was particularly horny that night and decided it was as good a night as any to see just how far she'd let him go.

He grabbed a rag to wipe himself off and was about to hand it to her so she could do the same when he noticed the fabric was dark. Not just from being wet. _Dark_. Dark like...blood. There wasn't much, but it was definitely there.

Shit.

"You're a virgin?" he asked softly. Beth's answer was to curl on her side and tuck her knees up to her chest into the fetal position. _Oh, shit._ "Why the hell didn't you say somethin'?"

"Would it have mattered?" she mumbled.

Well didn't he just feel like a Grade A Jackass? He knew this girl was scared to death, didn't have a mean bone in her body, and now he'd gone and done this to her. Didn't even make sure it was good for her. _Dammit._

He lay down behind her, letting his arm drape around her while supporting himself up on his elbow, deciding to ignore the way she curled into a tighter little ball. "Beth," he breathed, resting his hand on her hip and stroking the soft skin there. "Shit, girl, I'm...I didn't...you coulda..."

"Just leave me alone, Daryl," she whispered. Daryl was pretty sure her voice would have been shaking if there had been any volume to it. He watched as her shoulder began to shake.

God, he felt like an ass. He made the poor girl cry. He didn't force her or anything. He left it up to her. He might have tipped the scales in his favor a little, but she made the choice. He'd never taken a woman against her will before and, technically, he still hadn't. At least that's what he was going to convince himself. Besides, he was going to be gone the next couple days, so hopefully she wouldn't be so upset with him anymore once he got back. Daryl looked down at Beth and made up his mind to show her just how sorry he was. He pulled on her hip again until she turned to lie on her back. She was making a point not to look at him, which would have been a good thing. Hell, he didn't want to see the poor thing crying, but he needed her to know...

He sighed heavily, "Look, I know I don't deserve it, but..."

"But what?" she snapped, though her voice never rose above a sharp whisper; her eyes flashed in anger. "Trust you?" She rolled back onto her side and curled herself into that little ball again.

Well, he certainly deserved that.

All Daryl wanted was for her to just listen to him, hear him out, let him explain. If he'd have known, if she'd have said something...he would have at least gone easier on her. He wasn't about to tell himself it wouldn't have happened, but it would have happened differently.

He reached over and cupped her cheek in his hand to gently guide her to turn her head toward him, fighting her meager resistance. In the twilight that surrounded them, aided only by the dying fire near their tent, he could see her eyes, wide with fear, and he stopped short, breath caught in his chest. He'd seen that look before, when his old man had been out on a bender and he'd come home with an awful look in his eye and his mama knew what was coming...though just because she knew it was coming didn't mean she wanted it. She'd look at his dad like a deer caught in the headlights, and even as a little boy he could recognize the pleading look in her eyes as his old man went to her and dragged her, already crying, into their bedroom.

He hated that look.

And now that same look was staring right back up at him. He thought about just letting her go – it was what she wanted, after all – but something deep down inside him wanted him to make this right for her...as right as he could, anyway.

It dawned on him as he looked down at her, away from that look, that the poor girl hadn't even gotten dressed. Must've been too upset to care. _Way to go, asshole._

Figuring it would be best to just obey her wish and leave her alone, he pulled his boxers and jeans up, buttoning and zipping the fly. "Here," he murmured, handing over her shirt from where it had landed on the tent floor, "let's at least get you dressed." While she put her top back on, he crawled over to where he had flung her shorts and offered them back to her. She snatched them out of his hand after pulling her hair out of the neckline of her blouse. Once she was clothed once more, she resumed her place curled up and facing the tent wall, arms crossing her chest.

Daryl lay down next to her, facing her back, studying the lines of her slender body. Damn, she was tiny. He was learning quickly that looks could most definitely be deceiving. She might look like a little slip of a thing, but this girl was strong, stronger than she probably even knew. And she was good. And kind. And giving.

Not to mention beautiful.

Daryl shook his head before any more of that Hallmark shit clouded his thoughts. He was suddenly bound and determined to show her he wasn't a complete asshole...but how to do that without forcing her? He tried once more putting his hand on her upper arm. When she but didn't shrug him off right away, he took it as a good sign. Well, a sign. "Beth," he whispered, "I'm so sorry, girl. I prob'ly shoulda known. I shouldn't-a... I'm sorry." He didn't think he'd ever apologized so much at one time in his entire life, especially not to one person, but it was important to him that she believe him.

He'd wonder why some other time.

He couldn't blame her for still giving him the cold shoulder. He figured she had every right to be pissed at him. If she were any other girl, he'd cut his losses and move on, but he was just as trapped in their agreement as she was. He couldn't just kick her to the curb – this girl was depending on him, and he'd be damned before he ever went back on his word.

Daryl decided to keep ignoring the fact that despite knowing he didn't deserve her, he didn't want her to leave. He'd figured out ways to keep her safe, whether he was with her or not. Now he just needed to find a way to make her stay – not because she had to, but maybe even because she wanted to.

Where the hell was all that coming from?

"Here," he stretched his other arm so it rested just above her head on their shared pillow, nudging along the crown of her head with his forearm until she huffed and lifted her head, allowing him to slide his arm under her neck. Daryl let his other arm rest along his side, figuring she didn't necessarily want him touching her any more than he already was. After a time, his eyes drifted shut and he fell asleep; a tiny part of him wondered who fell asleep first.

When Daryl woke, it was as if everything around him was colored in shades of gray; he figured it was at least an hour or so before sunrise. Somehow, over the course of the night, Beth had turned over and was now curled into him, her head on his shoulder and her arm resting on his chest. Normally in such a situation, he'd get the hell out of there, not caring if he woke the woman in the process or not. Something stopped him this time. A large part of it was remembering how shitty he'd been to her last night...hell, for the past week, but there was something deep in his chest that prevented him from pulling away.

She looked so peaceful laying there next to him, eyelashes brushing against her cheeks, her breath warming his skin through his shirt. A lock of hair had fallen over her face, which he gently tucked behind her ear. Careful though he may have been, the tiny motion was enough to cause her to stir. He all but held his breath, hating that he woke her so early, but when her eyes opened and, after a few blinks, focused on his face, he was overwhelmed with a flood of emotions – the currently ever-present guilt, regret for having woken her, happiness when she didn't back away when she realized where she was, an increasing amount of protectiveness, and a rush of lust at the sight and feel of her. Even though his heart and mind felt terrible about the night before, his dick hadn't forgotten how amazing it felt being inside her.

Their eyes locked on each other for a brief moment before he blurted out in a rough whisper, "God, you're beautiful." And she was. She really was. He'd been with some hags in his day, screwed a couple chicks who looked good under the bar lights but looked like completely different people in the light of the next morning. Not this girl, though – not even with red-rimmed eyes, which he guessed could have been from crying last night. He felt another pang in his chest at the realization.

God, he felt like such a piece of shit. He just _had_ to make it up to her.

Unable to hold back anymore, Daryl bent his head to drop a soft kiss on her pouty pink lips. His heart jumped when she didn't pull back right away. Maybe she was still too asleep to think clearly. Maybe she'd forgiven him in her sleep.

Maybe she _wanted_ him to kiss her.

Regardless of the reason, he'd take whatever he could get. He brought his hand up to cup her cheek and deepened the kiss, but pulled back before he let himself get carried away, looked back down at her. "I'm sorry, Beth," he murmured. "Last night was...I shouldn't've pushed you like I did. I didn't...hurt you, did I?"

"Yeah, it hurt, but I'm pretty sure it would've no matter...," she trailed off, her voice still froggy with sleep but still soft and sweet like it always was. He heard her unspoken words – "no matter who it had been since it was my first time." Her gentleness cut through him. Christ, was she letting him off the hook for hurting her?

No. Even if she had forgiven him, he had promised himself he would make it good for her somehow. He owed her that at least.

She went to sit up, wincing as she moved, but he stopped her with a gentle hand on her arm. She looked back at him and he tilted his head, silently telling her to lay back down next to him. Once she was settled, yet obviously still wary of him, he asked, "Still sore?"

She nodded, her eyes downcast. He grimaced at that. Each little reminder of what an ass he'd been stabbed through him. He was convinced the only way for him to feel better, and for her to hopefully still trust him, was to do this for her. Now how the hell was he supposed to convince her to let him touch her again?

"Beth, I..." he stammered, his nerve giving out when those blue eyes of hers – so sad and yet still so bright – met his. "I know you prob'ly hate me right now, but I do wanna make it up to you. At least let you get yours since I got mine." He hoped to hell she knew what he meant. He was really trying to avoid going into a detailed explanation, hoping he could just _show_ her.

She never really answered except to stay where she was, lying next to him with her head still resting on his bicep. Maybe she thought this was him calling in her end of their agreement. He needed her to know this one was completely off the books. "If...if you don't wanna, we don't hafta. I just thought...maybe..." How the hell was he supposed to ask her?

He sighed and whispered, "Please, girl. Let me take care of you this time."

He had _never_ begged before in his life. Somehow, with this girl, it wasn't nearly as bad as he thought it would be.

Beth looked up at him, her eyes searching his. When she still hadn't moved, he ventured to bring his hand up to cover the side of her neck, his forefinger and thumb cradling her jaw. He pressed a soft kiss to her lips before letting his forehead rest against hers. Slowly, very slowly, so as not to frighten her and to give her plenty of time to stop him, his hand drifted down over her torso, not even stopping to play with her breasts, pausing at Beth's lower abdomen. He turned his hand and slid it to wrap around her side, up to her ribcage and down again, reveling in the dip of her tiny waist before reaching the flare of her hips again. He kissed her again, pulling away again so she had every chance to stop him as he turned his hand so his fingers were pointing to slide under her shorts and panties. The only change was her quickened breathing; he sought her eyes, thankful he didn't see that frightened look again. Nervous, he could handle, but not fear.

He didn't want her to be afraid of him, especially not when they were like this.

"You okay?" he asked, his voice rough with...something more than lust. It was like he was really starting to care for this girl.

When the hell did _that_ happen?

She nodded, not making any move to get closer or to scoot away. All she did was take a deep breath and close her eyes.

Daryl smirked a little, knowing that even if she was so nervous she was practically shaking, he'd at least piqued her interest. Determined to make this as pleasurable as he could for her, he began teasing her lower lips, seeking any moisture that hid within. He kissed along her throat again, finding that sweet spot where her neck met her shoulder, where he'd been leaving his mark on her. Her sharp intake of breath when he grazed his teeth over her skin only encouraged him, as did the slight arch to her back when he began to apply suction, pulling her skin deeper into his mouth. Besides, he was about to be gone for at least a couple days – he wanted to make sure these lasted at least that long.

His finger dipped to just outside her entrance. He stopped when he felt her tense, waiting for her to calm down again before continuing. She released a shaky breath and relaxed little by little. When he felt it was safe, he picked up again, lightly stroking her, drawing out any wetness there and guiding it up to her clit, still hidden under its hood.

Not one to linger, he moved back down and slowly pushed his finger into her. God, she was still fucking tight, even just around his finger. He moved his hand back and forth, slowly, almost like he was still teasing her, but was actually trying to just ease her into it. When he felt her juices start to run down his hand, he added another finger, just as slowly as he'd done the first one, and curled them into her, seeking that spot only dumbasses claimed they couldn't find. She gasped, loudly, and he knew she was well on her way.

If Daryl were honest with himself, he'd admit he was well on his way, too. Her tiny little panting noises, the way her hips were starting to buck against his hand ever so slightly spurred him on. Truthfully, he was glad she was actually getting something out of it, rather than her just letting him do what he wanted because she was too afraid to say no.

He moved his finger from her entrance to her clit and back again, over and over, as he watched her face contort in pained pleasure. Her soft hand belied its nature when she grabbed his arm with an iron grip. Her eyes snapped open and she began sucking in a lungful of air and held it, trying her damnedest to stay quiet. Daryl fantasized about another time, another place, but only with this girl...somewhere he could lay her down and show her a thing or two.

Somewhere she could let that sweet voice out as she came as loud as she fucking wanted to.

The thought of her stretched out beneath him again was enough to get his hips moving without even realizing he was doing it. Before long, he was grinding his pelvis against her slender body, trying to relieve the pressure building in his dick. As much as he wanted to feel the tight warmth of her pussy again, he knew better than to even bring it up.

Once he got back from hunting, however...

Her fingers tightened their grip, nails digging into his skin, and he figured she was about to go over the edge. He pushed his two fingers into her again, letting his thumb play with her now swollen clit, determined to feel her come around his fingers. Her walls began to flutter, her breath stuttering. A glance down revealed that her nipples had grown so hard that they were about to poke right through her shirt. As much as he wanted to suck on each one of them, something told him to just stay the course, to not change any part of his technique at the moment, to make sure she finally found release.

When it happened, he was almost glad she hadn't reached orgasm when he fucked her the night before. A pussy that tight, squeezing like it was now on his fingers, might have snapped his dick right off.

She lay there next to him when it was over, panting and swallowing hard to try to catch her breath. When she still hadn't said anything, Daryl asked, "You okay?"

Beth nodded shyly. "I...I never...no one's ever..."

Daryl frowned at that. "Not even yourself?" She shook her head. "Why the hell not?" Beth just shrugged and looked down and off to the side, avoiding any eye contact with him. "Well, glad I could...help."

He carefully pulled his hand from her shorts, "Look, you stay here, I gotta go take a leak." He ducked under the tent flap and made a beeline for the woods. Once he was far enough away, he pulled his cock out of his jeans, not surprised that it was just as hard as it had been last night...and as the blonde beauty he'd been living with came apart literally in his hands moments ago. His fingers and palm were still wet with her slick, so he got right down to business to get himself off, calling to mind her soft panting noises, how she felt in his arms, how god damned beautiful she was. In no time at all he was spurting streams of spunk into a nearby bush. He leaned against a tree as he caught his breath and tucked himself back into his pants, taking care as he pulled the zipper closed. He let his head thump against the trunk of the tree as he lost himself in thought.

 _What the hell was this girl doing to him?_

Within an hour of returning, he was giving Beth a list of warnings and instructions for what to do while he was gone. Merle would be leaving with the group later that day for Atlanta, but his brother had promised to keep an eye (and only an eye) on her before he left. Once both Dixons were gone from the camp, Shane and Andrea were the only two he thought would actually be able to take care of her if she needed anything.

After one last kiss in the privacy of their little tent, Daryl set off to find himself a deer.

For the first hour or so, he just walked, not even trying to track anything. He'd seen antler rubbings on random trees when he'd been out in the woods the week before, so he knew there were deer out there, that he wouldn't have to look real hard to find any tracks. He started getting picky with his shots, not feeling the need to bag every little squirrel he happened across, instead taking only those that looked well-fed.

As the trees around him grew closer and closer together, his hunting senses kicked into gear, his eyes and ears on high alert for anything that moved. Once in a while he saw one of those dead bastards walking around, but only one was close enough to actually give a fuck about. He started to wish for a deer stand, not just to hunt from, but to sleep in once night fell. He began to keep an eye out for trees he could climb easily, like Beth had done.

His mind raced back to the last twelve hours. He was sorry he'd hurt her, but not sorry about anything else. Truth be told, he was already thinking about the next time he'd get to feel her around him. That girl was addictive. Once she entered his thoughts, it was damn near impossible to get her out again. He began imagining all the different things he'd introduce to her, expand her little horizons.

A tiny part of his brain wondered what she was doing at the moment. Were Merle and Shane keeping their promises?

Maybe he'd better start focusing on finding a damn deer, head back to the camp early.

He found a deer trail, probably a day or two old, but it was something. He began tracking, still taking his time, sending a bolt through any squirrel or rabbit that looked like it would give a decent amount of meat. Hours passed before the deer trial crossed through a brook running through the forest. He had to temporarily detour to find a place he could cross without getting his feet wet. Normally he wouldn't have cared, but he'd rather not have to spend the next day and a half walking around with soaking socks.

The trail was becoming fresher – hell, he'd even found the place where the deer had slept the night before, but now the sun was starting to set, and he still needed to find a spot for himself to sleep out of the reach of any of those flesh-eating corpses.

He finally found the deer early the next morning. As he crouched down beneath a bush, lining up his shot – he wanted to hit that perfect spot in its neck that would drop the animal where it stood so he wouldn't have to go chasing after it – it seemed to look right at him with those big eyes, almost fearful.

Almost like Beth's had been last night.

He fought to concentrate, but images of her beneath him ran rampant in his mind. What he had done last night. What he'd like to do to her in the future.

He shook his head, determined to find his focus again, and realigned the shot. Daryl exhaled slowly as he gradually squeezed the trigger, releasing the bolt...

...and watched it sail just off course into the deer's side as it bolted from the small clearing.

 _Shit._

He took off, knowing there wasn't really any chance of him keeping up with his prey, but hauling ass as best he could after the long night of chasing sleep in the crook of a tree, half-exhausted and half-starving, entirely pissed at himself that he'd let his thoughts get the better of him and result in losing at least a couple days' worth of meat for the camp. At least the bolt had hit center mass – maybe he'd nicked a lung or something and the deer would actually start slowing down soon.

Eventually he had to stop running, the trail becoming too difficult to follow at that speed, not that he was moving all that fast to begin with. He figured he had two options – keep tracking this deer or give up and try to find another one. It took him the better part of a day to find this one, and even though he was prepared to be out in these woods for a couple days, he was tired and ready to call it.

He'd ignore the fact that his thoughts kept returning to Beth for the moment.

His mind made up, he set out to follow the deer, if anything, to get his bolt back. He grumbled when he realized the deer had set a course heading pretty far south, away from the camp, although maybe that would mean he'd find another one along the way. After the first mile or so, the deer had suddenly changed direction, taking a 90-degree turn back toward the camp, and Daryl began to dare to hope. The trees began to thin out, indicating he'd reached an edge of the forest. The trail was easier to follow now, branches of shrubs were bent awkwardly as if something had run past them. He picked up speed again, following the haphazard display of broken branches and dangling leaves rather than focusing on the ground below them.

As he drew closer to the clearing, he swore he heard voices, though he was pretty sure they belonged to people from his camp. At least he wouldn't have to carry the deer's carcass very far. Small miracles.

He crashed through the bramble lining the edge of the woods to find several of them standing around in a semi-circle, all looking at something on the ground. Was he lucky enough that the deer had literally fallen at their feet?

Then he saw the tracks leading up to the group. Those weren't deer tracks.

"Son of a _bitch!_ That's _my_ deer!"

 **Thank you for reading - please take a moment to leave a review!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I am blown away by the amount of support for this story. You guys are amazing! I apologize for the delay in updates. Between teaching, being a mommy, having company come in for the holiday weekend and planning my husband's birthday, then having a boatload of papers to grade, life has been a little busy. Thank you for your continued patience and support. Each and every follow, favorite and review makes my heart dance with joyful giddiness and helps inspire me to write the next chapter, and so, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.**

Beth had spent the morning keeping to herself. Daryl had made sure she had plenty to eat, had shown her what plants to avoid, and had left her with a pistol and a knife, just in case. Merle left with the group shortly after Daryl had left, so she was alone with her thoughts for the most part. She began to wish she knew the members of the camp a little better, especially Amy and Andrea, so she'd have someone to talk to about what had happened the night before...and earlier that morning.

She thought of the many nights spent with Maggie, hiding giggles behind their hands, hearing stories of this boy fumbling in the dark to try to unhook her sister's bra, or that one who thought he had found third base but had "actually fouled out after leaving second." Daryl certainly wasn't as inept as the boys her sister had complained about.

A sad smile crept onto Beth's face, and for the moment, she was glad she was alone in the tent as tears pricked her eyes. She wondered if her family had given up on ever finding her...if they were even still alive.

Beth sniffed and let silent tears fall in the privacy of the tent. Along with her aching heart, she was still sore, physically, and still sad that she'd had to make the choice she had. The kicker was that she knew eventually he would want sex from her, that her hand wouldn't be enough for him for long, she just hadn't expected it so early in their "relationship." More so, she was surprised Daryl showed as much remorse as he had for not realizing the gravity of his actions. She had him pegged as a man who took what he wanted, regardless of the consequences or who he hurt along the way, but the morning after, everything felt so...heartfelt. Even if he hadn't said it repeatedly, she'd have known he was well and truly sorry just by his actions and behavior. If she were honest, she'd probably rather he'd just left her alone, but there was something in his voice, his demeanor, that had her acquiescing to his pleas and let him touch her the way he had earlier that morning.

The actual sex was...good...she supposed, once she got past the initial pain and nervousness. It was clear he was only concerned with himself, using her to find his own release, paying no mind when she tried asking him to slow his pace with a soft "Daryl, please." Still, once her body had grown accustomed to the act itself, she was able to focus on other things – the strength in Daryl's arms around her, his breath ghosting over her skin in time with his thrusts, the feeling of his mouth on her skin. All things considered, it could have been a lot worse. If circumstances had been different, she might have even found pleasure in it.

When Daryl offered to make sure "she got hers" that morning, she had been a little curious to see what it would be like. Her Sunday school teacher had taught her that touching herself was wrong, and it was so deeply ingrained in her that she wouldn't let her boyfriend, Jimmy, come close, either. That morning when Daryl had worked his fingers in and around her, it still felt wrong...but so very good. To hear Maggie tell it, having an orgasm was the best thing on earth, and while Beth couldn't wholeheartedly agree, it was...well, it was pretty fantastic. She smiled to herself, remembering the rush of heated electricity that had shot through her as his hand and mouth worked their magic. He'd seemed surprised she'd never had an orgasm before; she was surprised to find it lived up to the hype, and that he could have such an effect on her.

Even though she still barely knew him, there was no denying he was just as good at having sex as he was at kissing, which made him highly skilled in both areas. It wasn't that Beth was necessarily looking forward to the next time they had sex – though now that they'd crossed that line, she realized there weren't many reasons she could give him to avoid it in the future – but would she actively avoid it when he asked?

She'd just have to cross that bridge when she got to it.

Beth spent most of that first day in the tent, convinced that the moment she stepped outside, everyone in the camp would know she'd slept with Daryl, and she just wasn't ready to face anyone just yet. She made sure to ration the food Daryl had left her, sipping at her water bottles periodically so she wouldn't need to make any mad dashes for the woods to pee. Once during that first day, Amy stopped by, calling through the wall of the tent to see if she was okay, and Beth unzipped the entrance to talk to her for a bit, the whole time trying hard to avoid looking at Amy to see the judgement in her eyes, and not just from her having sex. Beth remembered Daryl's mouth playing along the sides of her neck and was sure the marks he'd left were just as dark as ever; she also knew Amy, like her sister Andrea, was pretty upset at the bruises left there, so she did her best to keep them at least partially hidden. After a few minutes of conversation, Beth joined Amy for a quick walk, just to stretch her legs a little. She found a bush with the berries Daryl had shown her and used her shirt to hold the ones she collected, offering the younger Harrison sister some to share.

Soon after they'd returned and Beth had eaten a small supper, she heard a car alarm sounding, and drawing nearer every minute. She armed herself with her knife like Daryl had taught her, stowing the pistol in the back of her jeans, and peeked out of the tent to see what was going on. She saw Shane stomping across the camp to a red sports car, popping the hood and yanking the wires to disconnect the battery from the alarm. Glenn crawled out of the driver's seat and mumbled something to Shane, though Beth couldn't hear what. Behind the car approached a small delivery truck, and the rest of the crew that had left earlier that morning hopped out of the back. Standing awkwardly near the rear bumper was a man she didn't recognize.

She also noticed that Merle was nowhere to be seen. A sense of dread washed through her as she realized what that might mean.

The next thing she knew, Lori and Carl were racing toward the new man, who had fallen to his knees. Beth realized this was Lori's husband, Carl's father; a quick glance at Shane confirmed it. She began to tear up, not only in a shared joy at seeing a family reunited, but because of yet another reminder that she had no idea if her family were still alive or if she would ever see them again if they were.

Even though she'd already eaten, Beth joined the group around one of the fires later that evening, buttoning up Daryl's borrowed shirt to hide the hickies he'd left as best she could. The man, Rick Grimes, told about how he'd woken up from a coma in a hospital, not knowing anything that had happened in the days that had passed. The group didn't seem too upset that Merle hadn't returned with them – something about him being out of control and Rick having to handcuff him to the roof of a building – but were more concerned with having to tell Daryl, acting like he was some kind of untrustworthy, reckless, wild animal. Beth almost took offense to that. Yes, he was rough around the edges, and was surly and rude far more often than not, and she'd much rather not be in this arrangement with him if she could help it, but she knew deep down that he was a good man. These people, whom Daryl had barely made contact with and was in fact spending days on end to bring them back fresh food, were now warning Rick that Daryl wouldn't handle the news of his brother very well at all.

 _Well, of course he wouldn't. What kind of person would hear that their only living kin was stranded, chained up, surrounded by the walking dead, and be completely alright with it?_ Beth kept her mouth shut and wondered what they said about her when she wasn't with them. They'd been nice enough to her face, but they'd also been at least cordial to Daryl...that is until his back was turned.

That night, Beth slept with her knife tucked under her pillow, just in case. Without either of the Dixon brothers there, she felt more vulnerable than usual.

The next day, late in the morning, she heard Amy scream, then a commotion coming from the far side of the camp. Beth didn't dare go too far from the tent, not that its thin walls would do much to protect her. Moments later, she heard Daryl calling for her and Merle, yelling something about a squirrel stew. She unzipped the flap and stepped out, surprised to see him after only one night when he'd said he'd be gone at least two days.

"Where's Merle?" he asked warily.

Her heart immediately went out to him. He didn't know. Beth could only stammer and shake her head, unsure of how to tell him. "He...he's not here."

"Well, where the hell is he?" He was obviously getting angrier with each passing minute.

"There was a problem in Atlanta," Shane stepped in and explained.

Beth watched as Daryl heard from Shane and Rick what had happened on that last supply run that ended up with them barely escaping with their lives, and in fact without Merle. Daryl reacted just the way they all predicted, lashing out, throwing his string of squirrels at Rick and pulling his knife from its sheath. Shane grabbed him from behind, putting Daryl in a choke hold.

"Stop it!" Beth cried out, running closer to the scuffle. "Let him go!" she yelled as she pushed on Shane's shoulder. Her actions had caused just enough of a slip in Shane's concentration to give Daryl a chance to get out of the hold and up on his feet again. Shane glared daggers at the two of them, and Daryl put himself between Beth and Shane, pushing her behind his back.

The two former policemen continued trying to explain why Rick made the choice he did. The man everyone called T-Dog spoke up, explaining that he had the key, but had dropped it down a drain.

"The hell with all y'all," Daryl yelled, his voice shaking with emotion. Beth placed a tentative hand on his shoulder, a little surprised that he didn't immediately shrug her off. "Tell me where he is so I can go get 'im," he demanded of the men.

Soon they decided that Rick, Glenn and T-Dog would all go with Daryl to retrieve Merle from the rooftop, much to the chagrin of Shane, Lori and Carl. While the other three men made their preparations, Beth brought Daryl back to their tent. He didn't ask if she was okay like every other time they'd been apart for any amount of time, though she figured he was still too upset about his brother to be too concerned with her, but she couldn't blame him in the least.

"Daryl, I..." she started.

"Buncha fuckin' assholes," he growled out, pacing what little he could within the confines of the tent.

She sat close to the corner to keep out of his way. "Have you eaten yet today?" she asked softly and was met with his heated glare for an answer. She pulled out the bag of jerky and a bottle of water and stood up to give it to him. "You need to eat something before you go. Last thing anyone needs is a cranky and hungry redneck," she tried to joke with him, hoping he'd take it as one.

This time his look was less heated glare and more a look of astonishment.

Beth walked up to him and reached out for his hand, placing both items in his palm, feeling his eyes on her the entire time. She looked up at him, mere inches separating them, and gave him a tiny smile. "You should rest a little before you go, too. Can't imagine you got much sleep last night." She took a step back toward the sleeping bag, her hand still cupping the back of his until she sat down and their hands naturally fell apart from each other. She invited him to join her with a little pat beside her.

She wasn't sure where this generosity, this need to nurture, was coming from. Yesterday morning she'd all but hated him, but last night she was ready to speak up in his defense. She'd even caught herself reliving their little tryst in her mind last night before falling asleep. Her emotions were all over the place, and she wasn't sure how to handle them. At the moment, she felt sympathy for him – she could definitely relate to not knowing whether their families were alive, dead, or somewhere in between. And to come back nearly emptyhanded after a full day of hunting to have the people he was trying to feed tell him they'd basically left his brother for dead...well, she'd be pretty pissed, too.

She didn't know when she'd forgiven him, but seeing him so upset had her heart going out to him. Sometime in the past twenty-four hours, her heart and mind had both accepted that what had happened...happened. There was no going back and undoing it, and it had guaranteed her safety as long as Daryl was around.

Eventually he joined her on the ground, guzzling the water and chewing the jerky noisily, peeking at her out of the corner of his eye. "You didn't have to do that, you know," he muttered around a mouthful of food. Beth looked at him quizzically, and he explained, "Steppin' in like that wi' me an' Shane. I'd-a handled it."

She fought the urge to roll her eyes and shrugged instead. "It wasn't right, what they did. To either of you," she added. She watched him quietly, playing with a piece of hair that had fallen loose from her ponytail. "So no deer, huh?" she hazarded to ask.

"Damn walker got to it before I could," he mumbled around a mouthful. He paused his chewing and looked over at her, a sudden realization dawning on him. "The hell were you plannin' on eatin'?"

"I think I'll manage. I've been trained as a bona fide squirrel chef, and it looked like you had at least a dozen on that rope you threw at Rick." She breathed out a giggle, "He kinda deserved it, though. How could someone do something like that?"

"Ain't the first time a cop handcuffed Merle for bein'...well, Merle. Just the first time one fuckin' left him for dead," he shrugged. "Hell," he continued, "only Merle can kill Merle, and believe me, he's come close."

After Daryl had eaten and rested a short while, he stood up and started arming himself with the few weapons he had left. Beth had serious doubts whether he was actually in any kind of shape to go on this rescue mission, neither physically nor mentally, but somehow she knew nothing she could say would change his mind from leaving, and she couldn't really blame him for it. If she knew her brother or sister was there in any kind of danger, she'd be chomping at the bit to get to them, too. Still, there was a part of her that was worried for him, not that he couldn't handle himself. It was a little self-serving, she regretted, but if Daryl didn't return, what would happen to her?

He bent to exit the tent when she reached out to grab his hand. She wasn't sure if the rush of electricity that jolted her heart was from his touch or from his crystal blue eyes meeting hers. She swallowed, her mouth suddenly dry and her heart in her throat. "Just...be careful," she whispered. Daryl nodded and ducked under the flap, leaving Beth with a mix of confusion and anxiety coursing through her. She pushed the emotions away and followed Daryl outside.

Shane and Rick were having a heated discussion as Glenn and T-Dog waited in the box truck that had brought most of the group back the day prior. Daryl had been pacing in the cargo part of the truck as the other men spoke. Finally growing impatient, Daryl stepped over Glenn's shoulder to press his foot on the horn, calling for Rick to hurry up.

Beth bit back a smile and returned to the tent.

 **Thank you for reading - please take a moment and leave a review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**I've had this in the works for a while, but life just kept happening. There was actually more to this chapter, but it's already getting pretty long (I'm really trying to keep the chapters shorter for this one), but that just means the next chapter already has a head start. Silver linings, right?**

When the four had taken off, some of the women in camp decided to head down to the reservoir to wash their laundry. Beth joined them, grabbing all the clothes from the tent, regardless of to whom they belonged. Whether Daryl returned with Merle or not, the clean clothes would be a nice change from the usual alternative.

While they worked, Carol's husband, Ed, kept watch, though he seemed to be watching the women bending over and working in the water more than keeping an eye out for danger. The man gave Beth chills, so she avoided eye contact and kept to her task at hand, even when Andrea started to confront him. Beth had just turned her head in time to see Ed push Andrea back and a fight break out, leading to Ed backhanding his wife and Shane coming out of seemingly nowhere to beat his face to a bloody mess. Carol's cries for Shane to stop went unheeded for several blows before Shane hissed a final warning to a barely conscious Ed and stormed off. What little joviality the women had shared moments ago had disappeared, and they hurried to finish rinsing the laundry out and return to the camp.

That night, the group was gathered around a fire again, partly because they were waiting for the rescue party to return, partly because there just wasn't anything else to do. Beth joined them all again, too worried about Daryl to begin trying to find sleep in the tent. She wondered if the four men were spending the night in the city, if they were on their way back, if someone had gotten hurt...or worse.  
She tried to focus on the conversations around her to keep from losing herself in her concern.

A shrill scream shattered the quiet that surrounded them. Those who remained around the fire turned toward the source of the sound to find Amy being attacked by a walker who had grabbed her as she exited the RV and tore a chunk out of her arm. Beth saw motion from the corner of her eye and saw walkers starting to swarm around Carol and Ed's tent; the only other person who seemed to notice was Carol, who was crying and holding tight to her daughter.

Everyone sprang into action, either running away from or toward the growing threat coming at them from all sides. Beth wanted to make a break to get to her tent, but her feet were frozen to the spot. She started to reach for the gun she'd kept in the back of her jeans, but didn't trust herself or her aim to be able to shoot the walkers with any kind of accuracy and not accidently hit one of the living. That left just her knife, which she was reluctant to use as well; using the knife meant hand to hand combat with an enemy that wouldn't stop until its brain was destroyed, which meant it had to come within arm's reach of her. With a shaking hand, she pulled the small knife from its sheath and held it in trembling fingers, praying to God she wouldn't have to use it, and wouldn't drop it if she did.

Shane and some of the other men were doing more than their share of keeping the monsters at bay, but it still wasn't enough. People all around the camp were screaming in pain and terror as one by one they fell silent, unable to cry out for one horrifying reason or another. Time seemed to speed up and slow down all at once when Beth saw a walker just a little larger than herself turn to look at her...and began to approach.

Her breathing quickened and became shallow in her chest, unable to fill her lungs the way she needed it to. Her mind swam with fear as she desperately tried to remember what little Daryl had taught her. The walker drew closer, snarling and chomping as it did, and she finally twisted the handle of the knife so she would be prepared to stab her undead attacker. She readjusted her fingers around the grip and raised her arm to strike when the exact opposite of what she wanted to happen...happened.

Even amid the clamor of the fight for survival going on around her, Beth swore she could hear her knife hit the rocky ground somewhere behind her.

"No!" she screamed, tears of pure terror welling in her eyes as her hands came up to try to push the walker away. All that happened was her hands sliding on its rotting flesh, barely gaining any purchase in keeping it from biting or scratching her. Her palms were pressed against its chest as its hands came up to grip her upper arms. She began to sob, sure that death was imminent, when a bolt flew from out of nowhere and was suddenly protruding from the walker's temple, stopping its grotesque jaws from snapping mid-bite.

Beth searched frantically for Daryl, knowing he had to be close, but was still unable to move. He, along with the other three men who had gone back into the city, appeared from the tree line, firing bolts and bullets, dropping walkers in their tracks like an apocalyptic cavalry arriving just in time to save the day. Daryl rushed to her, although instead of any sign of relief that she was okay or any gesture to make sure she wasn't injured, he stooped to grab her knife, handed it to her, and shoved her to stand behind him as he continued fighting. She made sure to find a firm grip on her knife and turned back to back with Daryl, keeping an eye out for any more potential threats.

When the last walker had been dealt with, Daryl finally turned to look at Beth, pulling her closer to the fire so he could do a quick examination to ensure she was alright, at least physically. Rick and Shane decided for everyone to go to their tents to try to rest, that the survivors would clean up the carnage once it was daylight. Despite their diminished numbers, there would be extra guards keeping watch that night.

Beth followed Daryl to their tent, where he silently began removing his weapons and lay down on their shared sleeping bag. She knelt next to him, still shaken from the attack, but feeling somewhat better now that Daryl was back. When he didn't ask what had happened while he was gone, she decided to ask what had been on her mind all day. "Was...was he..." she trailed off, unable to give voice to the worst question to ask.

"He was gone," Daryl mumbled.

"What do you mean...gone?"

"Mean he ain't there no more," he spat back. "Idiot cut off his hand to save his ass. Found where he'd went an' cauterized it and everything. We got back to where we left the truck to find it gone, too. Asshole probably saw us pull up and took off when we were lookin' for him."

Beth covered her gasp with her hand. "Daryl, that's...that's awful," she sympathized. She thought of how skilled he was at tracking things and asked, "There wasn't any way to follow him?"

Daryl scoffed, "Damn near impossible to track somethin' on pavement. Plus with him driving and us on foot, he was miles away in minutes, I reckon." Daryl shook his head, "'Sides, we had other shit to deal with." He answered Beth's questioning look, "Glenn got his ass kidnapped tryin' ta get Rick's damn bag o' guns." Beth readjusted as she listened with rapt attention. "Turns out these guys actin' like a bunch-a thugs were tryin' ta keep a damn ol' folks home runnin'. Fuckin' waste-a time."

She shook her head. "Not a waste of time," she argued and waited for Daryl to respond. The most he did was look up at her from the corner of his eyes. "You went back for Glenn. You put his safety before your own. You didn't know what kind of people they were. You could have left him for dead, but you didn't."

"Yeah, well," Daryl mumbled, not finishing his thought before he turned a curious eye to her. "The hell happen here? Where'd those bastards come from?"

Beth could only shrug, "I don't know. They just...appeared." She played with a button on her borrowed shirt. They sat quietly, both coming down from their adrenaline rush. Beth was definitely still feeling shaken up from the attack. She could still see the walker's jaws snapping together, chewing the air mere inches from her face; could still hear the screams, the raspy moans, the gunshots sounding off all around her...the cries of the survivors afterward.

Beth looked over at Daryl to find him looking right back at her, almost expectantly. After a moment, he broke eye contact and began removing his weapons and laying them in their places beside the sleeping bag. Beth realized then that he'd saved her life moments ago and was now waiting for her to show some gratitude and uphold her end of their arrangement. With a sinking feeling in her stomach, she began unbuttoning her shirt.

"The fuck you doin'?"

His question startled her. "I...I thought..." she stammered, her nerves and confusion preventing her from finishing her sentence. She swallowed before trying again. "You...you saved me from that...that thing. I just figured you wanted to..." she blushed, unable to force the words out of her mouth.

Daryl smirked at her. "Too damn tired, girl," he grunted as he stretched out on his back. "Good to know you're willin' to offer, though."

Beth's stomach plummeted, a hot flush of shame running through her as she realized that's exactly what she'd done. On top of that, he'd rejected her. Now she just felt stupid.

"Don't you worry, sweetheart," Daryl interrupted her self-deprecating train of thought, "I'll be takin' you up on that offer soon enough."

Beth crawled to her side of the sleeping bag to lie down, facing the tent wall as she usually did. A moment later, before she really had any chance to relax into her position, she felt Daryl curl up behind her, his arm draping around her waist, his thighs against the back of hers. She fought the urge to wriggle away as his pelvis pressed against her bottom. Another moment passed before Daryl offered his arm as a pillow for her like he had a few nights ago; another, and she felt his relaxed but steady breath ghosting around the back of her head.

The same conflicting emotions she'd felt while Daryl was gone crashed through her. She was glad he was back, safe, and felt safer with him next to her than she'd felt those past two nights. At the same time, Beth experienced a feeling of dread at the thought of having to sleep with Daryl again, especially since she was the one to bring up the subject.

And there was the tiny part of her that was almost... _almost_...looking forward to having Daryl take her up on her accidental offer.

She was still trying to sort through her feelings when sleep finally found her.

.oOo.

When Beth woke the next morning, Daryl had already left. She could hear several people already at work in the camp outside the tent. The smell of acrid smoke filled the air around her – the smell of burning flesh. She pulled her hair into its usual ponytail and stepped outside, blinking in the hazy early morning light, seeking Daryl out before joining in to help. There was already a growing pile of bodies in one corner of camp. Beth noticed they were all the human monsters that had attacked the night before; their victims were lined up near the back of a truck. Andrea was kneeling next to her sister's body, apparently having kept vigil all night. Those who weren't moving bodies were packing their belongings into different vehicles.

She began packing what few things they had in the tent, assuming they'd be leaving with the rest of the group. She heard Glenn yelling at someone that the bodies of their friends were to be buried, not burned. Others were arguing over where they would be going to seek out safety next.

It didn't take long for Beth to finish what she was doing, and wasn't about to attempt tearing the tent down on her own, so she ventured outside again, looking for someone who may need her help. Just as she did, Jacqui, one of the women who had also done laundry the day before, called out to anyone who would listen that one of the men, Jim, had been bit. Several others came over to inspect the wound, Daryl included. Once it had been confirmed that Jim was in fact bit, a fight broke out as to what to do with him. Daryl was apparently not willing to take any chances, and raised the pick axe he'd been using as if to strike. Rick stopped him, pointing his pistol at the back of Daryl's head and pulling back the hammer, ready to fire.

Beth couldn't stop herself from crying out, "No!"

Daryl turned around and glared first at her then at Rick before lowered his pick axe.

Eventually everything was settled, particularly what to do with Jim and where they were headed next. Jim would ride in the back of Dale's RV, with someone keeping watch over him to make sure he didn't turn as they made their way to the CDC in hopes of a cure. Beth helped load Daryl's truck where she could; she wasn't surprised to learn that Merle had left a motorcycle behind, which Daryl loaded into the bed of his truck. She crawled into the cab, a sudden tension rippling between them as Daryl shifted into gear and followed the line of cars.

Eventually he spoke, his voice laced with anger. "I told ya, ya don't gotta do that shit." She looked at him, confusion pulling her eyebrows and mouth into a frown. "Thinkin' ya gotta stick up fer me like ya did. Like I need some little thing like you comin' to my rescue in my god damn hour of need." He fixed her with a stern look, "Knock that shit off."

Beth could feel the anger boiling up inside her. "I'm sorry, are you mad because I tried to help you? The man had a gun pointed to your head. Forgive me for being concerned."

Daryl just rolled his eyes and scoffed in response. "Fine," he spat back at her, "keep jumpin' in the middle of things. Mark my words, girlie, one of these days, you're gonna get caught in the crosshairs and get yourself in a situation I can't rescue you from."

Beth slouched on the bench seat of the truck, crossing her arms across her chest, feeling every bit the petulant child she was acting like. She watched the miles go slowly by as Daryl followed the convoy through the impromptu parking lot of abandoned cars littered on the highway. Her thoughts drifted to Daryl, as they often did lately. She wasn't sure what to do about that either. Her stomach gave a strange little flip as she began to wonder if they actually cared for each other, and not just out of some sense of duty stemming from their agreement. She couldn't seem to stop worrying about him, whether he was out on a run or standing up to Rick and Shane, and he seemed to get more and more upset anytime she stepped in on his behalf. Something told her it wasn't just some stupid male ego thing, either, regardless of how he made it sound.

Daryl's voice, which had at least faded from anger into more annoyance, cut her thoughts short. "The hell's goin' on?"

 **Thank you for reading - please take a moment and review!**


	8. Chapter 8

"The hell's goin' on?" Daryl grumbled as he pulled the truck to a stop and threw it into park. After several moments, they watched as Glenn made his way from the RV to stop at each car.

"Jim's not doing so good. He figures it'll be any time now. Looks like we're gonna find a spot for him and leave him."

"What?!" Beth exclaimed. "We can't just desert him like that!"

Glenn only shrugged, "It's his idea," before returning to the RV where members of the group were helping Jim down the steps and to the edge of the trees lining the highway. Each person took their turn saying goodbye to Jim. Beth walked in the morbid procession with Daryl, offering a timid wave as he nodded. They returned to their vehicles and continued following the highway.

The silence between the two of them felt different this time. It was filled with a new kind of tension, not one of anger but a sense of dread and sorrow. The caravan crept slowly along, stopping every so often to move vehicles out of the way when necessary. Beth realized they were making their way back through Atlanta, though coming from a different highway than she'd ever used. In fact, this was a part of the city Beth had never encountered at all, with hardly a storefront or restaurant in sight, at least that she could see.

The RV, and the vehicles following it, pulled up in front of an asymmetrical building. On the grounds surrounding it was a military checkpoint – at least, what was left of it; now the sidewalks and asphalt were littered with half-eaten corpses and blood-splattered sandbags piled on top of each other to create some semblance of a wall. As if the sight alone wasn't enough to turn her stomach, the reeking stench of death and decay invaded her nose; Beth had to pull the collar of her shirt to cover the lower part of her face to try to keep the smell out and avoid losing what little food she had in her stomach.

She reluctantly followed when Daryl climbed out of the truck, staying close behind him without his having to tell her so. He looked back at her, once, scanning her up and down and nodding when he saw her knife secured to her hip before resuming his place at the rear of the group as they made their way to the building. Large lettering on a sign told her it was the Center for Disease Control and she remembered Rick insisting the group try their chances there – it was their best bet to find a cure for whatever was causing the dead to walk again.

As they approached what appeared to be the front entrance, Beth felt her heart plummet into her stomach as she realized the doors were all covered by metal rolling doors like the ones she would see at storage lockers. A glance at the people around her showed they were all just as disappointed and devastated as she was. Rick and Shane began banging on the door, calling for help she doubted would ever come. Their noise began to attract a few walkers, which Daryl quickly took out with a bolt from his crossbow. Tempers flaring, Daryl started yelling at Rick, Shane was yelling at Daryl, Lori was yelling at Rick, Rick was yelling at the people he believed to be inside. Carl and Sophia began to cry as Beth just watched the scene unfold, numb to her core, somehow calmly accepting that she would die that night.

Daryl grabbed her and pushed her behind him, his back to the building, as he prepared himself to defend the two of them against whatever threats were coming their way. Rick was ranting about having seen a security camera move, desperately pleading that whoever was controlling it would open the door. His words echoed in Beth's ears: "You're killing us!"

A blinding light came from within the building as the rolling door was raised by an unknown savior. She felt Daryl turn slowly behind her in obvious disbelief. Not wasting another minute, the group rushed inside before more walkers could get any closer and follow them inside.

There was one man still living in this giant building complex, who introduced himself as Edwin Jenner. He explained that the rest of the staff was all dead or gone, that it was just him and the computers left. The younger children began asking their mothers about food, which prompted Jenner to volunteer to cook dinner for the lot of them, complete with glasses of wine.

Beth stayed close to Daryl; it wasn't that she didn't trust this man, but she could sense there was something off about the whole situation. Why hadn't he let them in at the first sight of them through his security camera? Why did he feel the need to subject them all to a blood test upon entering the facility? No one else seemed to have these questions – at least, no one brought any of them up – so she focused on eating heartily, trying to remember the last time she'd used a fork and knife to eat.

She'd never had wine before, so she sipped slowly at her drink. Even so, she began to feel the effects of the alcohol: her muscles relaxing, her mind becoming cloudy, her eyelids starting to droop. Beth excused herself to use the restroom, splashing some cool water on her face to wake herself up a little before returning. When she passed Daryl, his hand shot out and grabbed her hip, bringing her to sit on his lap. He had definitely had quite a bit more to drink than she had. It was the most relaxed she'd seen him, laughing and talking more than she'd ever heard before. His hand stayed possessively on her hip, his thumb tracing slow arcs on her skin, as the others told stories of where they'd come from, losing themselves to memories of good times in an effort to escape their grim reality. She found herself giggling at the stories being told around her. It was easy to do, with everyone feeling more relaxed than they had in weeks, laughing with their bellies full for the first time since their world ended. Daryl's hand just rested on her hip, warm and possessive as it tightened each time she readjusted on his lap.

During one of Rick and Shane's cop stories, Daryl leaned in to nuzzle just under her jawline, whispering wickedly, "Thinkin' I'mma take you up on that offer tonight."

Her eyes blinked open in surprise and she turned her head so she could look at him. He was looking right back at her, his customary cocky grin firmly in place. Daryl leaned in again, murmuring, "Lay you down in a bed and show you what it's really supposed to be like," then closed his teeth around the tendon in her neck, just briefly, but long enough to cause a rash of goosebumps to cover her skin and a blush she couldn't blame on the wine to darken her cheeks. "That's it, girlie. I wanna see how red yer face can get."

A chill ran up and down her spine, but she realized it wasn't out of fear, but anticipation. She was suddenly glad she was wearing one of Amy's shirts that day, a size bigger than she normally wore; the fabric bunched up around her torso, concealing her hardening nipples that would have surely been obvious to everyone seated around the table if she'd been wearing her own T-shirt. Daryl seemed to have picked up on her reaction, somehow, and brought his other hand to rest on her knee, inching his palm up her thigh until he was encircling her in his arms, one hand firmly on her ass, the other still tracing those delicious arcs on her skin.

Beth half expected him to carry her off over his shoulder once she'd finished her latest glass of wine (which went down much more quickly than the previous glasses, mostly due to her nerves flaring up and her mouth having dried up unexpectedly), but he waited until the rest of the group unanimously decided they'd stayed up late enough and walked as one down the hallway to their quarters, each of them excitedly talking about sleeping in a soft bed after taking a warm shower.

The moment their door closed behind them, Daryl had spun her around and pressed her up against the wall, his lips crushing hers in his impatience. He didn't pull away as he threaded his fingers through her hair and carefully guided her toward the bed they were to share that night. She went to sit when the backs of her legs hit the mattress, but he held her in place, kissing down her neck as made quick work of divesting her of most of her clothes but kept himself fully clothed. The next thing she knew, he was on his knees in front of her, his hands on her hips, only her underwear and a few inches' space between his mouth and...her.

He placed a gentle kiss just below her belly button, and another...and another...each kiss planted an inch lower than the last, until she felt him kiss her mound. She gasped and gripped Daryl's hair tightly in her fingers. She whispered his name harshly, unable to find her voice in the moment, and released a shaky breath when she heard him chuckle against her. To her relief (and a touch of disappointment), Daryl stood up and walked away toward the head of the bed. She turned to watch as he pulled the blanket and sheet back. He turned back to her and crooked a finger, beckoning her to come to him. She slowly rounded the bed until she stood right in front of him and looked up to see him raising an eyebrow as if to ask her, "...well?"

Beth's heart pounded in her chest. The wine she'd drank was making her braver than she'd ever felt. She placed her hands on his shoulders and pulled herself up to kiss him, then trailed her fingers over his collarbones until they met at the top button of his shirt. Daryl jerked his head back, glowering down at her before gripping her hips and turning her so she was flush up against him and her back was to the bed. One strong arm came up and across her back, supporting her as he guided them both toward the mattress, immediately attaching his lips to her neck as he climbed over her, a knee on either side of her thighs. He pulled his hand from behind her to rest on her hip as he scraped his teeth along the column of her throat.

Beth knew she shouldn't be enjoying this as much as she was, but it all felt so good to her. Daryl's hands on her were somehow different than the first time they'd done this. Instead of hurried and only serving a means to an end, this time Daryl was teasing and tempting, drawing out tiny gasps and moans from Beth that were beyond her control. She knew her feelings toward him were beginning to change; was it possible he was actually beginning to care for her, too?

As Daryl kissed along her neck and collarbones, dropping down to her breasts to tease her nipples into stiff peaks before returning to land scorching kisses against her mouth, lowering his body onto hers, sinking both of them further into the mattress, Beth took advantage of her sudden bravery and let her hands wander along his shoulders, along the nape of his neck and up into his hair, effectively drawing him closer. A thrill shot through her when he moaned into her mouth as she tugged his hair and arched her back, pressing herself further against him. Spurred on by this, she brought her hands to his chest again to undo another button. Again, he jerked his head back and stared down at her with a stern expression. He opened his mouth, but she pulled him down and kissed him before he had a chance to say anything. She smiled to herself when she realized how easily he could be distracted.

Beth couldn't help but wonder why he was so adamant against her unbuttoning his shirt. Come to think of it, in all the time they'd spent together, she'd never seen him without a shirt...or pants, for that matter. Judging by the way he behaved, Beth didn't peg Daryl as one for being shy. Ever.

Daryl wedged his knee between her thighs, pressing firmly against her center and rocking against her, sending little jolts of electricity through her with each movement. He worked in his other knee, effectively spreading her legs and allowing him to rest in the cradle of her body while still keeping up his gentle rocking motion.

Beth wasn't sure what to do, where her hands should go other than his hair and shoulders; anytime she moved them seemed to irritate Daryl. Somehow, Daryl apparently picked up on this; he pulled her hand away from his neck to trail down his side, his torso, until she was cupping him through his pants. She blushed at his forwardness. It wasn't that she was opposed to having sex with Daryl, especially after he had showed her (and was continuing to demonstrate) just how good it could all feel. She just felt lost in it all, like she wasn't sure she should be enjoying it...or that she should be wanting more of what he was doing to her body. Daryl let out a low groan against her neck when she gently squeezed him, somehow knowing that's what he wanted without him saying it.

His hand left her breast to find its way between them to undo his belt. They both grunted in frustration, her at the lack of warmth on her skin, him because his fingers wouldn't cooperate. Daryl sat back on his knees, looking down at Beth salaciously as he pulled the end of his belt from its clasp and tugged the fly of his jeans open, shoving them down over his hips. Beth caught her bottom lip between her teeth as she looked up at him. When their eyes met, she reached down and unbuttoned her own jeans, earning a wicked grin from Daryl. Handing over control to her alcohol induced bravery once more before it completely ran out, she slid down the zipper and started to wriggle out of her pants until Daryl took over and tugged them down her legs.

Daryl covered her body with his once again, pressing them together intimately close. Beth could feel his erection insisting entrance to her body, but they were still separated by her panties and his boxers. Her long legs instinctively wrapped around him, copying her arms sliding around his broad shoulders. His hands ghosted over her skin, tangling themselves in her hair, grabbing her breasts and her butt. All the while, they were kissing each other breathless, licking and biting shoulders and necks each time they came up for air.

"Daryl," she whispered, unsure of what she wanted to say next, even if she could get the words out.

He seemed to be able to read her mind once again and began trailing wandering kisses down her throat, her collarbones, in the valley of her breasts. He continued the line over her navel, which caused Beth to gasp loudly, arching her back and bucking her hips all at once. His warm breath both calmed and teased her as he chuckled against her skin before pressing his lips just above the waistband of her panties. She felt his fingers curl into the elastic and start pulling the garment over her hips, which she lifted to help him strip her bare.

His finger slid into her easily, not with the unfamiliar pressure of the last time they'd done this. "Shit, girl," Daryl whispered in near reverence, "you're so damn wet for me." Beth felt the heat of her blush covering her cheeks and spreading down to her chest, causing her nipples to harden even more than before. Her jaw dropped as he worked a second finger into her and curved it against her inner walls, coaxing her to open for him. He pulled her hand down to meet his between her legs. When she looked up at him, confused, he suggested, "Why don't ya go 'head an' play with yerself a little."

Beth had never touched herself before. "I..." she stammered, starting to shake her head.

"Do what feels good, sweetheart. I wanna feel ya cum on my fingers."

She felt her muscles grip his fingers at the mere suggestion. Beth started moving her fingers, trying to remember what Daryl had done that morning after which seemed so long ago now. Before long, her fingers were moving on their own, her body knowing what it needed more than her own mind. A steady warmth began to build low in her belly until it suddenly shattered and her entire body clenched and released simultaneously, shocking her system from head to toe. When she finally felt herself relax, Beth gulped air into her lungs, panting to catch her breath.

She blinked up at Daryl, unable to form any words, and saw him licking the fingers that had just been inside her, closing his eyes as if he were savoring the taste. He wiped the rest off on his boxers before shoving them down his legs and onto the floor then positioning himself, ready to enter her.

Between the wine still in her system and the rush of endorphins coursing through her after her orgasm, Beth couldn't be bothered to even pretend to put up any kind of resistance to him. Daryl filled her in one swift stroke, stretching the muscles that had just clamped down around his fingers so deliciously. There was the slightest trace of pain as he seated himself inside her, but it was soon forgotten as he kissed her with a surprising amount of tenderness and slowly moved his hips away from hers. He moved unhurriedly yet deliberately, pulling all the way out before returning to her depths at a maddeningly slow pace. Her legs once again wrapped around him.

"Ya like that, sweetheart?" he asked, continuing his painstaking rhythm. Beth bit her lip again and nodded, her eyes scrunched tight, trying her best to keep any noise from escaping her. "Fuckin' let me know it, girl." Beth's eyes shot open in disbelief. "Usually can't get ya ta shut up, now ya clam up. Wanna hear you scream, girl."

The best she could do was let out a tiny squeak, mostly in shock at what he had said. "That's it, girl," he grinned down at her, pulling almost all the way out again. This time on the down stroke, he thrust into her roughly, forcing a grunt from deep within her to the surface. "Yeah, like that."

Beth found that letting it out as he moved within her only made everything better, like he was helping her find release again with every thrust. She stopped holding herself back so much, her body letting her really feel every sensation Daryl was sharing with her. As he increased his tempo, Beth's cries became louder and more frequent before she silenced herself again, covering her mouth with her hand.

"Nah, girl, come on. Let 'em hear ya," Daryl encouraged. "Only reason we can't get loud outside sure as hell ain't on account of them. We're safe in here. C'mon, lemme hear ya'gain." He rocked back on his knees again, holding onto her thighs for leverage. "Fuck, yes," he exclaimed as she cried out yet again, unable to stop herself.

That same warmth began to grow as she felt her inner walls begin to quicken around him. "Oh my god, Daryl," she said breathlessly. He kept pounding away, gaining in speed and intensity with each stroke, even bringing his hand to play against her still sensitive nub to help push her right over the edge. Her breath caught in her throat as a second orgasm took over, finally breaking into a long guttural moan as it crested and washed over her. A moment later, Daryl found his own release inside her, growling through clenched teeth as he pushed into her one last time before panting as he twitched with the final seconds of his own orgasm.

Daryl collapsed on top of her, still firmly embedded within her. "Jesus, girl," he breathed against her chest, his forehead pressed against her throat. He straightened out, slipping out from between her folds, and landed next to her, pulling her into his arms. She let herself be held without question, definitely welcoming this new feeling of closeness as opposed to feeling used like she had been the past two weeks. "Really should take a damn shower, but I ain't gonna fuckin' move until I hafta."

Another moment passed. Beth had already begun to feel the first pull of sleep coming over her when Daryl asked, "Was it...better?"

Beth turned to look him in the eye. He seemed so unlike himself, lacking his usual confidence and bravado. Beth just nodded, "Yes. It was definitely better."

"Good," he grinned, obviously pleased with himself, then kissed her forehead and relaxed into the pillow beneath him. He reached behind him and pulled the sheet and blanket over the both of them before wrapping his arm around her again, keeping her firmly at his side.

Beth couldn't find any reason to refuse or complain as she slipped into the first peaceful sleep she'd had since the world had ended.

 **I am continuously blown away by the support I've gotten for this story. I'm trying my best to get updates out for you all, but real life has been keeping me plenty busy lately and doesn't really show any signs of slowing down. I'm not giving up, I promise.**

 **I'd like to thank you all for the wonderful comments and all the kudos and follows and what-have-you. My heart does a fun little skip every time I get an update. On top of that, this story was nominated for the Bethyl Moonshine Awards on tumblr (see ultimatebethylficlist for details). I am beyond surprised to have been nominated – thank you Thank You THANK YOU!**

 **Thank you for reading – please take a moment to leave a review!**


	9. Chapter 9

**I'd like to thank everyone for their continued patience. I know this chapter was a long time coming. I'm trying to write at least a little bit every day, but sometimes life just insists otherwise. Anyway, thanks again, and I hope it's worth the wait.**

Daryl woke from what was probably the best sleep he'd had in weeks...months...hell, maybe even years. His head was still a little achy and groggy thanks to the wine he'd consumed the night before, but he felt well-rested despite the threatening headache. He just hoped Dr. what's-his-name had some Tylenol or something to help him out.

He methodically began to stretch his muscles, letting the mattress cradle him just a little longer. He frowned and looked to either side of him, realizing only now that Beth was no longer in bed with him. Had she finally left him now that they were relatively safe? This place had food, electricity, running water. For all he knew, there were spare clothes stored somewhere that she was trying on right now. A moment's pause as he fought the sneaking feeling of disappointment from sinking too deep into his chest (seriously, what the hell was going on with him lately), he got his answer: on the other side of the bedroom wall, he heard the steady stream of the shower running. There was something more, though...something soft and sweet and damn near haunting.

Beth was singing.

Daryl wouldn't ever consider himself a connoisseur of good music, but he knew what he liked, and damn if her voice wasn't doing something to him...something not entirely unpleasant. If he were to let himself get sentimental and all that shit, he'd say it was working its way in and around him, filling and soothing him with its sad but sweet melody. It stirred something deep in his chest, something he couldn't quite identify. All he knew was that he was pretty sure he could listen to her singing all damn day...not that he'd ever let her know that.

He had the strong, sudden urge to hear her voice in a completely different capacity – memories of her crying out in pleasure as he fucked her the night before had him stirring in a much more familiar way. All he wanted to do in that moment was chase that voice out of her again, hear it panting his name in his ear over and over.

His mind made up, Daryl threw the blankets off himself and stood up in one fluid motion...

...and abruptly collapsed back onto the bed. The combination of a hangover headache, sudden motion, and what felt like most of his blood rushing to his dick caused him to reel backwards, leaving him with very little sense of balance at all.

He hung his head and focused on breathing, keeping the sudden wave of nausea at bay, not to mention trying to gain some sense of equilibrium. All (well, most) thoughts of steamy shower sex with his blonde songbird vanished. That's all he needed – be in the middle of the act and get a sudden case of the spins. He could see it all in his head: her long legs wrapped around him as he pressed her up against the tiled wall and then his own legs give out from under him, sending them both to the floor, at least one of them getting knocked unconscious.

Nope. He'd just have to calm himself down and wait for his next chance to be with her.

And damn he hoped it would be soon.

.oOo.

He's not sure exactly how it happened. One minute they were eating breakfast with the group, the next, Jenner was telling them that the building's generators were nearly out of fuel, which meant that the main systems were shutting down, including the computers that controlled all the viruses and whatever else they had in the labs. The only outcome was to blow the whole damn complex to kingdom come...from the inside...with all of them trapped inside. And it would all go down in a matter of minutes.

It was unacceptable. More than that, it was fucking bullshit.

Daryl felt helpless. One look at Beth, with her eyes wide and bottom lip quivering, had him burning with rage that this was the only option. He refused to believe it. He grabbed an axe one of the group had brought in the night before and started going to town on the metal doors separating them from the corridor that would lead them outside. Blow after blow, he was hardly making a dent. His next instinct was to crack the damn doctor's head open; surely one of the group could figure out what button would open the doors even without his help. He felt arms wrap around him, holding him back, until he finally gave in and returned to the doors, trying like hell to block out the quiet sobs of those behind him.

Finally, someone talked Jenner into giving them the chance to survive. The doors in front of him slid open. Daryl rushed back and grabbed Beth by the wrist and all but dragged her behind him into the hallway, racing to their room to grab what little they had before making their way to the lobby. He was vaguely aware of the rest of the group behind them, all frantically trying any and all exits, resorting to attacking the thick windows lining the walls.

While others fired shotgun blasts and even tried breaking through the glass with an aluminum chair, Daryl kept Beth close and kept hacking away at the same spot near the framework with the axe. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Carol digging through a duffel bag and hand something to Rick. Rick began yelling for everyone to get back; Daryl looked up curiously before making any kind of move. When he realized Carol had given him a damn grenade (wherever the hell it had come from), he grabbed Beth and hauled her as far back into the building as he could and threw himself on top of her, feeling her tremble beneath him as they both awaited the blast.

They didn't have time to wait for the dust to clear; as soon as they saw the window panel had been blown away, everyone made a break for it, knowing they had only seconds to get as far from the CDC building as they could. Daryl was grateful for Beth's long legs being able to vault over the piles of sandbags in their way as they rushed to the line of vehicles out on the street. They both slammed into the truck together before Daryl could find the handle and wrench open the door. He all but threw Beth across the worn and faded seat before covering her once again.

At first he wasn't sure the blast would ever come...until it did. The truck rocked back and forth from the force of the explosion as a wave of near-blistering heat surrounded them.

And then it was over. He couldn't hear much over the ringing in his ears, having been near the blast radius of two explosions within minutes of each other, but he felt Beth move next to him as he sat up to survey the damage. The blast radius reached just shy of the sidewalk; the building was basically obliterated, nothing left but smoking piles of molten steel and smoldering concrete. Daryl turned back to Beth, cupping her cheek with his hand. "You okay?" he asked, not sure if she could hear him or not. She nodded against his palm, gulping in lungful after lungful of air. He nodded, then pulled her close to him, setting her on his lap before shifting her to the other side of the cab so he could slide under the steering wheel. He breathed a sigh of relief when he turned the key in the ignition and the engine roared to life. Within minutes, their mix-matched caravan was in motion once again, following the road out of Atlanta.

.oOo.

Daryl ended up having to abandon the truck and consolidate everything they had into the side compartments of Merle's bike. If Beth was nervous about riding on the back of the bike, she didn't show it. Much. Part of him knew she was holding onto him tightly, for dear life, out of fear of falling off. The other part foolishly hoped she was holding him tight because she wanted to.

Hours later, he noticed Beth sitting more upright than she had for the duration of the drive so far, her hands fidgeting against his stomach. He slowed down to look over his shoulder at her and saw she was grinning ear to ear, practically glowing with excitement. "The hell's a'matter with you?"

"I know where we are," she said, all but bouncing in her seat. "This is the highway I was supposed to be on. It runs right by my daddy's farm."

Daryl's eyebrows shot up. He hadn't expected that at all. He knew the group was quickly running out of options for places to stay. Truth be told, they were out of options, running on fumes, hoping for a miracle. "Well, hell, girl. Think he'd mind a couple visitors?"

She didn't get a chance to answer before Daryl had to slam on the brakes to avoid hitting the car in front of him. He craned his neck around to see what caused the sudden stop and saw a cloud of steam seeping from the front of Dale's RV. As more and more of their group left their vehicles, Beth and Daryl followed suit. He knew Dale had been limping the RV along for a while. The sun was on its way back toward the horizon, though they still had a couple good hours of sunlight left to see what they could find in the cars around them.

Daryl had made sure Beth was right next to him as they scavenged through the cars, grabbing what they could. It seemed Beth had realized just because they were near her daddy's farm didn't mean her daddy, or any of her family, was still there, and they needed to be prepared for that. Things were going fine until it got quiet.

Then a little too quiet.

And then, that same foreboding quiet was slowly replaced by the unmistakable growls of walkers...and it wasn't just a couple. It was a whole damn herd; had to have been at least fifty of the damn things coming right toward them.

"Shit."

He grabbed Beth's hand and all but dragged her after him, causing her to drop everything she'd found, but he just couldn't bring himself to care right now. Together they made their way down the road, going the same direction as the walkers, trying to avoid being seen while looking for a place to hide. As they passed a delivery truck, he heard someone panting, damn near hyperventilating. T-dog was bleeding, badly, down his forearm and a walker was closing in on him, cornering him against the tire of a car.

Daryl quietly handed his crossbow to Beth and silently slid his knife into the back of the walker's head. He muttered over his shoulder, "Get in the car," before pulling T-dog to lie flat on the ground and covering the man with the recently killed walker. When he turned around, Beth was still standing, dumbfounded, crossbow held loosely in her hands, staring at the scene with her mouth hanging open. "Get in the damn car, Beth," he growled out, grabbing her upper arm and pulling her toward the sedan, yanking the bow out of her hands while unceremoniously shoving her in the back seat before closing the door as quietly as he could, given how pissed he was. "Don't fuckin' move," he all but barked at her before grabbing the corpse out of the front seat and pulling it on top of himself, hiding from the oncoming horde.

Within seconds, he heard the raspy groans and scuffing feet filtering past him, hoping to high heaven that Beth had actually listened to him and stayed right where he put her. Once the last of the walkers had passed, he waited another minute or so to make sure the coast was absolutely clear before shoving the body off himself, opening the car door for Beth, and silently enlisting her help in carrying T-dog to the rest of the group.

When they had all reconvened, he noticed Rick was missing. Apparently, Carol's little girl had gotten scared and ran off and Rick went to find her. Close to an hour later, Rick came back, surprised the girl hadn't returned yet. Both he and Carol looked at Daryl expectantly, like he was supposed to just jump at the chance to go on a wild goose chase. He was about to tell them all to fuck right off until Beth laid a soft hand on his upper arm and looked up at him with those big blue eyes. "I ain't leavin' you behind," he whispered. "These idiots can't even take care of their own, how the hell are they gonna look after you, too?"

"Then I'll go with you. I know parts of these woods. We're not all that far from my dad's farm," she argued, and Daryl was hard pressed to find any fault in her logic.

"You got that knife on ya still?" She nodded in response, placing her hand on the handle. "Fine," he said gruffly and lumbered over the highway guardrail.

It ended up that the girl, Sophia, had run the opposite way of the farm, so Beth wasn't all that much help after all. Still, he felt better with her there with him rather than back with the crew suffering from a case of permanent-head-up-their-ass. After an hour or so with no trail to follow, the sun had sunk low enough that Daryl wouldn't be able to really look for the girl without a flashlight. They turned back, Rick reluctantly so, and crawled back over the guardrail with just barely enough light to see the rest of the group crowded around him. He shrugged his crossbow more securely over his shoulder and let Rick deal with the questions. He had more important things to worry about, like where the hell he and Beth were going to sleep that night.

Luckily, or so he thought, Dale had offered up his RV to them. The problem was, he had offered it to others as well, including Carol, so all night, Daryl could hear her sobbing and sniffling. Daryl was sitting at the table with his legs propped up on the opposite bench, Beth cuddled up against him, her head against his chest. He couldn't find a good spot for his head to rest against that wouldn't end up with a stiff neck in the morning, and, not for the first time, he regretted leaving the truck behind. _Live and learn,_ he thought.

"Daryl?" Beth's whisper pulled him from his thoughts. "I need to get out of here. It's too stuffy and..." she trailed off, but he felt her turn her head to face the bedroom area in the back where Carol's sobbing hadn't let up at all.

"Yeah. Let's go."

They walked down the highway, staying in the shadows and out of sight of any walkers that may be lingering nearby. Fortunately, any walker worth worrying about had followed the horde that had come through earlier in the day, leaving the woods that lined the road relatively safe, at least for the time being. They'd travelled a mile, more or less, when Beth slowed to a stop. Daryl had taken two steps before realizing she was now behind him and turned to find out what the hell she was doing.

"If we go around that bend, down another couple miles, you'll see my mailbox."

Daryl blinked at her, her words not quite computing in his sleep deprived brain. "Say what?"

Beth stared off into the distance for a moment before shaking herself from her thoughts and looking at him, meeting his angry stare. "I...I told you we were close," she offered weakly.

He readjusted his crossbow on his shoulder and stepped toward her, toward the rest of the group behind her. "The fuck we standin' here for? Let's go get the bike an' head..."

"I can't, Daryl."

He frowned at that, taking another step toward her. "Why the fuck not?"

She hung her head and twisted her fingers in knots. "I...I don't know..." She drew in a deep breath and forced her hands to her sides, steeling herself to look up at him again. "What if they're all gone? If they left? If they're all dead? If they're walking around like those...things? I couldn't stand watching someone put them down. I'd be alone. No family left. I just...I can't."

Daryl didn't miss the way her voice started shaking as her eyes shone with tears. He huffed noisily, "An' what if they're all still there, just sittin' pretty? We're out in the middle of fuckin' nowhere. What if you're sittin' here, holdin' out, scared fer nothin'?"

"And if they are alive?" she answered back hotly. "I show up out of the blue and they ask how I survived and they found out what I...what we..." She sniffed loudly and angrily wiped away a tear. "If Daddy found out that I let you..." she hung her head again, "he wouldn't let me stay anyway."

A plume of rage shot through him like wildfire. So, what, he was good enough to keep her ass safe but not good enough for anything else? What the hell was he thinkin', anyway? That she'd wanna stay with him? Some greasy old redneck damn near twice her age? Still, who the hell did she think she was, makin' him feel like he wasn't good enough? Sure as hell was good enough for her last night.

"My daddy's real religious," she continued, pulling Daryl from his angry thoughts. "He about kicked Maggie out when he found out she was foolin' around with boys. I...I agreed with him. I was mad at her. How could she act so..." Beth hugged herself and looked around before she continued. "Then I found her birth control pills. It just proved what she was doin'. I just...I couldn't believe it. I grabbed that whole packet and ran down to the duck pond and threw them right in. God," she laughed quietly, "we were screamin' and yellin' and Daddy came runnin' out and then I saw the look in Maggie's eyes." Beth turned to look at Daryl, "I knew if I told him what I'd found, she'd be gone for good. She was on her last chance with him...and I couldn't have that. So I told him we were just playin', put on my biggest smile, mud drippin' all over the both of us." She looked away again, wiping a tear off her cheek. "If he puts it together that I had sex with someone I hardly knew, he wouldn't care about the why."

Daryl was quiet for a moment. "So what?" Beth looked up at him, startled at his bluntness. "If they're already gone, whether they're dead or just gone, are ya any worse off than ya are now? An' if yer dad finds out and actually kicks you out, we just continue our little arrangement. Ya got nothin' ta lose."

He watched as Beth took a slow breath in and held it before puffing it out. "You're right. For all I know, I've already lost them. Guess I don't have any reason to be afraid." She steeled herself and turned to face him again. "Tomorrow. I'll show you how to get to the house. Either way, it'll be safer there than out here on the road."

With that they returned to the RV. Daryl noticed a slight bounce in Beth's step that he hadn't noticed before. He held back, letting her lead the way back, refusing to admit to himself that he hoped she was right about her dad, that their little deal would carry on. The girl was damn near addictive, and he wasn't ready to kick this particular habit yet.

The group was slow moving the next morning, as per usual, much to Daryl's chagrin. To top it all off, Rick decided he wanted to go looking for Sophia again, and took Carl and Shane with him. They'd been gone just under an hour when they heard a single gunshot. Daryl fought to keep from rolling his eyes when Lori started pitching a fit about something being wrong, mainly because he knew they were looking to him to fix it. He begrudgingly led anyone not working on the RV along the trail the other three had left, but stopped short when a short haired brunette on horseback pulled up in front of them.

"Maggie?!" Beth whispered, her eyes all but bugging out in disbelief.

The brunette didn't seem to hear her, instead asking for Lori Grimes, rattling off some story about Carl getting shot by someone from her farm. Without blinking an eye, Lori mounted the horse, sitting behind Maggie. It was only then that the brunette laid eyes on her sister. "Beth?" She looked back in the direction of the farm. "Can you find the farm from here?" Beth only nodded. "I'll see you there."

Anger shot through Daryl like electricity. This girl's been missing for close to a month and her own damn sister hardly even said two words to her. Circumstances be damned, that was downright shitty. He wasn't even sure Merle would have pulled something like that. He looked over at Beth again, and saw her trying like hell to hold herself together.

She looked up at Daryl with sad eyes and a watery voice to match, "We better get going."

By the time they'd returned to the highway, got the RV up and running again, and cleared enough cars from the road for their vehicles to get through easily, there was barely enough light to see. Not that Daryl had asked, but the majority of the group stated they'd rather stay where they were one more night rather than travel in the dark. That same anger from earlier spiked at that. Like Beth wouldn't know how to get to her own house, regardless of what time of day or night it was.

Beth, he noticed, just took it all in stride. Damn girl was tough; he wondered if she'd ever get a chance to prove it to anyone but him. He was ready to say 'Screw 'em all,' and head out just the two of them to get her home, especially now that she knew her family was alive and well. Beth didn't seem any more anxious to get moving than she had last night, so he didn't push matters any further. Instead they climbed into the back of the truck the Grimes had been driving, using the opportunity to stretch out rather than try to grab a few winks of sleep in the cramped RV again.

A thought flitted through his mind: this could be his last chance to be with her, to feel that tight pussy around his dick, to feel her breath against his neck as he pumped into her. Based on the way Beth was cuddling into his chest like a damn kitten looking for a warm spot to sleep, he figured she was having close to the same thoughts. The kicker was, with them being in a vehicle by themselves, yes they had privacy, but they were ultimately exposed to anyone who walked by, living or dead. They'd have to be damn careful and quiet to avoid any unwanted attention.

Daryl let his arms wrap themselves around her. "Could be our last chance," he murmured against the top of her head. "Ya wanna?" For a moment, he thought maybe she'd fallen asleep. Maybe she was too afraid to tell him she didn't want to.

But then he felt her snuggle in even closer, something he didn't think was possible, and tilt her head back. Her lips brushed against his jawline, "Okay," she whispered.

"Gotta stay damn quiet," he told her as much as reminded himself as he angled himself to face her fully It about killed him to say it. Other than an ice cold beer, all he wanted in this world was to hear her sweet voice crying out, knowing he was the one that caused her to do it.

He wasn't sure who kissed who first, but before long, they were making out like a couple of teenagers He almost pulled away when he realized that was exactly what she was, but he just couldn't bring himself to. It was just so easy to take her in his arms, to wrap himself around her. He'd never really wanted to be all that close to anyone, let alone some chick, and yet here he was, seemingly unable to get enough of this girl.

If he were honest, the selfish side of him, which made up most of him, hoped she was right and her dad would kick her out just so he could keep her with him. And it wasn't just the sex, though that made up a big part of it. Being with Beth, making her feel good, feel safe, feel like maybe someone gave a damn about her, made him feel good.

When the hell did he start giving a damn about anyone, let alone some chick?

 _Beth ain't just some chick._

 _Where the hell does this crap keep coming from?_

 _How the hell did my shirt come open?_

Daryl pulled away from Beth suddenly and glared at her only to see her looking up at him innocently. Sometime while he was lost in his thoughts, she had worked her way into his lap and was now straddling him. Even in the waning moonlight, he could see her pupils blown, drinking in what little light they could find. Her fingers were dancing nervously on the last button holding his shirt closed; her bottom lip hid behind her top teeth as her thumb pushed the button through its hole.

He wanted to yell. He wanted to shove her off him and storm off.

He wanted to feel those soft, delicate hands on his skin.

Daryl watched in silence as Beth slowly lifted her shirt up over her head, baring her perky little titties to him. Just as he had the thought to cup them in his hands, her fingers trailed up his arms to play along his collarbones then drift down his torso. His abdominal muscles moved on their own accord, reacting to being unintentionally tickled. Before he had the chance to say anything, she leaned forward and kissed him gently on the lips, pressing herself into his chest.

His hands came up to cover her back, all but crushing her to him. He didn't know what was going on and he couldn't find it in himself to care anymore. This tiny little thing of a girl was the strongest damn addiction he'd ever had, and he had to get his last fix in before she left him. His pants were growing painfully tight, his dick straining against the zipper. He gasped in a breath when Beth moved her hips just so against him, giving him the sweetest and yet most aching pressure where he needed it most.

"Get them shorts off," he grunted against her lips, trying like hell to pull himself away again. He moved her as gracefully as he could, given his mental state at the moment, and started hurriedly wrestling his belt out of its buckle and shoving his fly down, giving him momentary relief before he pushed his pants and boxers halfway down his thighs, struggling not to make too much commotion so as not to make the shocks on the truck squeak. He turned to see if Beth was ready and damn near came just at the sight of her, sitting there so innocently, not all spread out like in nudie mags or porno flicks. Her shorts sat next to her as she looked back at him, her eyes repeatedly glancing down at his crotch. He wondered just how much she could see of him. "Get on over here, girl," he motioned with a jerk of his head.

"But I...I thought…" she stammered out.

Daryl pulled her back into his lap, stopping her short, though he figured what she was about to ask anyway. "You weigh less," he explained. "truck won't make as much noise this way."

"But, I've never…I don't know what to do," she said softly, but still slowly crawled back to him to take back her place in his lap.

He remembered back to just a few moments ago, how she moved against him without any help from him. "Think yer gonna be just fine." Daryl reached between their bodies to line himself up with her entrance and slowly dragged his other hand up her thigh to rest just above her hip. He guided her slowly down his length. "It's all you, girl," he tried to encourage her and worked to focus on holding still, as much to keep quiet as to not scare her.

Seconds passed before she started moving on her own. Beth repositioned herself, spreading her legs so she could sink all the way down until their hips met. "Oh my god, Daryl," she whispered and let her forehead drop to his shoulder. He could definitely agree with the sentiment. Feeling her around him was like sliding into heaven, and when she started arching her back and slowly curving into him, he'd thought he'd died and gone there, never mind that he didn't deserve anything this good, this too-perfect girl. End of the world be damned, he was in fucking paradise.

Beth started riding him, always slow and careful, keeping her movements smooth. Her nipples rubbed teasingly along his chest, little sighs and moans escaped from her perfect mouth as she did. Her lips formed a perfect "O" as she found her rhythm. He couldn't stand it anymore; Daryl leaned forward and kissed her, swallowing any sounds she made before they grew too loud. Their tongues danced together as they hummed their pleasure to each other. She pulled away, gasping for breath as her legs began to shake on either side of him. "Daryl…oh god…" she panted, her hips now moving erratically.

Suddenly she leaned back, her back arching beautifully backwards, her hands on his knees to support herself. He marveled at how perfect she looked as she found her release, still bucking against him, her nipples pointing to the roof of the truck. He knew better than to move in this most crucial moment, but also knew he had to as her face contorted in the pleasured pain of her orgasm. Her moans were growing louder every second; any more and she would have alerted every walker in the area exactly where they were. Daryl moved to support her with one arm and clapped his palm over her mouth just before she groaned out her release.

He grit his teeth and growled as Beth curled back into him, her inner walls milking his own orgasm from him as her arms wrapped around his shoulders. They clung to each other as they came down from their respective highs. Daryl leaned back, holding her to him, allowing them both the relax and catch their breath. As the tension in his muscles faded and sleep began to overtake his senses, two thoughts plagued Daryl's mind:

 _Why did that feel like goodbye?_

 _Why was it bothering him so much if it was?_

.oOo.

The next day, bright and early, Daryl refused to take anyone's complaints or excuses for waiting on the highway one more minute. He rushed everyone through a meager breakfast and all but shoved them into their vehicles to get this show on the road.

When they pulled up to the house, Maggie was already pacing on the porch, trying to see through the windows of each vehicle, apparently searching for her sister. _Some time to finally start giving a damn,_ Daryl scowled to himself. Here they were on his bike, out in the open, and her sister couldn't even see her.

Beth's soft lips against his cheek pulled him from his thoughts. His eyes snapped over to meet hers, and were met with a sad smile. "Thank you, Daryl," was all she said before taking her bag from his side compartment and jogging up to meet her sister.

Daryl couldn't understand why he was so angry and upset. He had one less responsibility now. Yeah, he'd lost his piece of tail, but there were lots of women who'd either left him or he'd snuck out on. Why the hell was Beth's leaving affecting him so differently?

He still hadn't figured it out while the group set up camp on the far side of the lawn.

He still hadn't figured it out as he continued the search for Sophia. (It wasn't like he had shit else to do.)

He still hadn't figured it out while he recuperated from landing on his own damn arrow when he fell down the damn hill when Beth's damn horse had bucked him off when a damn snake had spooked it. In fact, now he had more to ponder: why did his heart start racing when Beth would come to bring him a meal or when he heard her voice, her laugh, drift in from the next room? Even more confusing was why he was so disappointed when he didn't see or hear her all day.

The only thing that seemed to push Beth from his mind was when Glenn announced there were walkers in the barn and Shane ended up going ape shit. Daryl took the shotgun the deputy practically shoved in his hands and followed to the barn. Shane broke the lock and chain keeping the barn doors closed and a dozen or so walkers came stumbling into the yard.

Daryl, Shane and anyone else armed with a gun opened fire on the walking corpses. He gave a moment's pause when, somehow, over the volley of gunfire, he heard Beth sobbing behind him. He turned back to see her clinging tightly to her sister.

Everyone froze when the last walker made her way out of the barn – Sophia.

They watched in near silence – the only sounds filtering through the air were the girl's soft growls and her mother's cries – as Rick took care of her at point blank range.

The Greene girls walked around the bodies, apparently recognizing quite a few as friends and neighbors. Beth stepped carefully around them, stopping to kneel next to what looked like an older woman. She reached down and brushed the hair out of the woman's face.

Then all hell broke loose.

A spike of fear pierced Daryl's heart, paralyzing him as the older woman reached up and lunged for Beth, jaws full of rotting teeth snapping in her face. Maggie, Rick, and several others rushed to pull the two apart, but the woman's body must have been to fresh as she held on relentlessly. The commotion stopped suddenly. When the dust settled and everyone backed up to give her space, Daryl saw Beth pull the knife he had given her out of the walker's skull…then heard her openly sobbing, "I'm so sorry, Mama."

Her sister and some scrawny blonde kid scooped her up and walked her back to the house while Daryl looked on, still in numb shock after what had just happened. He vaguely wondered if the kid was the boyfriend Beth had mentioned when they first met, not that it really mattered to him at this point. He decided then and there that he needed to get away, that he couldn't stand to be around anyone anymore. The kicker was that he couldn't bring himself to leave Beth, even though she wasn't really with him anymore.

He realized as he started packing up his things why he felt the need to stay: If her family thought it was a good idea to keep a bunch of walkers in a barn (apparently, her old man was convinced they were just sick), how safe could they really keep her? Despite his best efforts, he actually gave a shit about her and didn't want to see anything bad happen to her. She was too good for that. Instead of taking off into the woods, Daryl found a spot near the edge of the property where the remains of the fireplace and chimney still stood, the last remaining part of a farm house built and torn down long ago, that would keep him far enough away but close enough to Beth to keep himself from worrying about her too much.

The next week or so, the rest of the group fell into a routine while they waited for Carl to recover from being torn up with buck shot and the surgeries to repair any damage. It was two weeks before Daryl saw Beth again after the barn incident. "'Sa matter, girl? Yer little boyfriend ain't doin' it for ya so yer lookin' for a good time with me?" He looked up from sharpening his homemade arrows and really looked at her. Her face was down-turned, as if she had a hard time looking at him. He noticed she had a bag, packed full, on her back. "What, yer old man find out?"

"Something like that," she mumbled, her voice watery, as if she'd been crying. "I'm pregnant."

 **Thank you for reading - please leave a review!**


	10. Chapter 10

Beth wasn't sure the kind of reaction she'd get from Daryl when she told him she was pregnant. She only hoped he didn't pull the "Are you sure it's mine?" line she'd seen so often in movies. She may have just curled up and died on the spot if he were to have said something like that.

His actual reaction wasn't much better.

"Shit," he growled out as he stood up, shouldered his crossbow, and stomped out of the tent and into the woods.

Beth sighed heavily. She supposed it could have been worse, but not by much. She ducked into his tent to sit and wait for his return. A part of her wanted to cry, but her body was all cried out from everything that had happened since she finally made her way home.

Her joyous reunion with her family was short-lived when she learned both her mother and brother were gone. Apparently, they had been in town running errands, visiting someone from Mama's prayer group that had just had surgery, when the outbreak struck their little community. Mama had been bit while Sean was scratched trying to pull the walker off her. Rather than staying at the hospital, which had been swarming with panicked patients and staff alike, they fought their way home, trusting in Hershel's medical expertise to heal them.

The look on her father's face told her exactly how that had gone and how hard he was taking the loss.

Her family, along with Otis, Patricia and Jimmy, all of whom had joined the household rather than stay at their houses, carried on with necessary chores while Beth mourned. The Greene farm was much larger than most others in the area, and helped provide more security by the surrounding forest. Otis and Patricia helped run their farm as well as being long time family friends, so much so that they were practically family themselves. Meanwhile, Jimmy, Beth's boyfriend (though she supposed that wasn't exactly accurate anymore) lived in town. He had lost both parents and his sister at the start and had no other place to go; Hershel took him in without question, even though Beth had still been missing.

The list of people forever gone from her life seemed to be growing by the minute.

There were seemingly endless days of mourning all she had lost, each beginning with her waking up missing the feel of Daryl's strong arms around her. Not that he would really be a source of comfort or understanding for her, but she felt vulnerable without him there with her. It was ridiculous, really. She was home. She was as safe as anyone could be, considering no one was really and truly safe anymore. Besides, it wasn't like he had treated her all that well to begin with. He had taken something from her she could never get back, had gotten angry at her for trying to defend him from Shane and Rick.

But he had also given her pleasure she'd never known existed. He'd kept her fed, kept her safe, even shielded her from danger with his own body.

Oh…his body. Any time her mind wandered, it ended up recalling how he felt next to her, how his voice would rumble in his chest and send a chill running through her. How his strong arms felt around her as she felt him inside her. How his eyes seemed to peer right into her soul.

It was thoughts of Daryl that pulled her out of bed after days of soaking her pillow with tears. It wasn't so much a want to see him again, but she could almost hear him barking at her, "Come on, girl, get yer ass up. Shit's gotta get done." It was certainly motivation strong enough to ready herself to see her home knowing she'd never again see her mother or brother again.

The first day was the hardest. She wanted to just do what she needed to get done, to get back into the swing of things. She wanted to be at least a little independent, not wanting to check in with someone at every turn.

If only someone had passed that little memo on to Jimmy. Whether Beth was helping to clean up after a meal or work in the garden, Jimmy had to be right there at her side, getting in her way far more than he was being helpful. She finally asked if he needed her for something.

"I'm just glad you're back. It almost doesn't feel real. Your coming back? It's like…like we were meant to be together."

Beth's heart broke at that. She didn't feel anything for Jimmy any more, not really. Not the way he clearly felt about her. "Jimmy," she began with a sigh, unsure of what to do next. If she was looking for normalcy, she didn't need to look any further. Jimmy was safe, he was dependable. She'd been friends with him for years, and her family loved him.

But she didn't love him, not the way he deserved to be loved. Even before all of this happened, she hadn't been _in love_ with him. It was one thing to stay with him and see where things went when life was somewhat normal. Now, though? No one had the luxury of having time to just wait and see. All feelings aside, would he be able to protect her in this new world? Provide for her if the farm ever fell?

"Jimmy," she tried again, taking her work gloves off and wiping her brow with the back of her wrist, squinting at him in the Georgia heat. "I'm glad I'm back, too," she lost her nerve.

He wrapped his arms around her, a hug she did not reciprocate, and kissed her cheek. "I gotta get back to helpin' yer pa, but maybe we can catch up later?" he asked hopefully.

Beth bit her lip and nodded, then watched him saunter off toward the far corner of the property. She decided to ignore the fact that her heart didn't exactly leap for joy when he'd hugged her. It hadn't even wiggled.

Her days quickly settled into a routine, carrying out her chores as she had before her life had been turned upside down, only now she did them with a knife hiding in her boot, the knife Daryl had given her to protect herself, just in case. She heard from bits of conversation that Daryl had taken it upon himself to find Carol's daughter, Sophia, and Beth couldn't help but admire him for that.

That is, until she realized he'd taken her horse without even mentioning it to her or her father. Beth recalled Merle wanting to rob the camp by the quarry and found she wasn't all that surprised that Daryl would take Nellie without asking. She was still pissed, but she wasn't surprised.

What had surprised her was seeing Nellie trotting through the barnyard, still wearing a saddle but no Daryl on her back.

Hours later, when the sun was sinking toward the horizon, a shot rang out from the edge of the property, alerting everyone and setting them on edge. Moments later, while Beth was helping to get dinner prepared, there was a great commotion in the front room, silenced by her father calling out for quiet and his medic kit. Beth rushed in to help, as she often had when neighbors brought in a wounded animal and sought his help. What she found spread out on the bed nearly stopped her heart.

Daryl was lying on his side, blood trickling across his forehead, his flannel tied around his side collecting blood from his front and back. Under all the commotion, she could hear his soft moans of pain.

Beth stayed back while Hershel corralled everyone except Patricia out to the porch. Once he returned, he resumed his usual calm demeanor. "Bethy, it looks like his head wound is superficial. His side is gonna need some work. Patricia, let's get him some morphine. Once we know he's gonna stay unconscious, we'll work on stitching these wounds while Bethy cleans and bandages his temple."

Beth stood on the opposite side of the bed from the other two as everyone worked. Even with the Georgia heat surrounding them, she could feel his gentle breath ghosting over her skin. She felt her nipples tighten as she leaned over him, his mouth so very close to her. When her fingers brushed a particularly tender spot, the tiniest whimper and moan would escape his lips, causing her heart to break just a little…and a rash of goosebumps to cover her arms, not to mention the sudden tightening in her lower belly. She could only be glad Hershel and Patricia were working so intently so as not to notice her reaction.

Once she had him bandaged up, she looked over the rest of him. He was covered in mud, filth and blood. Beth went to get more towels to try to clean him up, seeing that they were still fixing his side and he would be out for a while yet.

Her heart stopped a second time when she returned. Beth had gotten the first glimpse of Daryl's back and knew in an instant why he was always to careful to keep covered. Scars of all matter of size, age and severity littered his skin; some of them had to have been from his childhood. Several pieces of the puzzle that was Daryl's past fell into place and Beth began to understand a little bit of why he was the way he was. She also knew she could never let on that she had seen them, not if she ever wanted to talk to him after that. It wasn't even a matter of pride or ego, but if he'd kept it such a secret from her for this long, her having seen them would be like a betrayal of trust for him. No, it was best to stay quiet unless he brought it up (if they ever actually spoke again), and even then she knew she'd have to play dumb.

She took a deep breath and began cleaning him off, making sure to stay clear of the others' area, as well as keeping a neutral face. In the back of her mind, she wondered if he'd ever been shown any kind of care or kindness. The marks on his skin certainly suggested otherwise. She had finished with the area around his head wound, but couldn't bring herself to leave his side, dabbing at his sweaty forehead, cleaning off his face, and wiping his neck and down to his collar bones. She drank in his body with her eyes, realizing that even though she'd seen him up close and personal before, she'd never seen him with his guard completely down.

She may not have known all the details, but guessing what this man had been through all his life, then seeing him put himself in harm's way trying to find that little girl – basically a stranger – even knowing the odds of her being alive were slim to none by now, Beth knew, deep…deep down, Daryl was a good person. In the moments that had just passed, in the midst of this revelation, her heart began to heal, to forgive him, little by little, for the ways he'd hurt her in the past few weeks. Seeing him like this explained why he'd done what he'd done, but it certainly didn't excuse him.

Hershel tied his last stitch and backed away so Patricia could apply the bandage. For a brief moment, Beth was tempted to continue Daryl's sponge bath, but thought better of it. If he were to wake up in the middle… Besides, how would she explain to her father why she couldn't seem to keep her hands off him, and why there would be a sense of familiarity about the whole thing? No. She would leave clean washcloths and towels for him and he could clean himself if he wanted to when he woke up.

Her thoughts returned to the scars on his back. She pitied him – not Daryl the man, but Daryl the little boy who apparently had no one to protect him from whoever did this to him. Beth let her mind wander as she went about her day. What kind of little boy was Daryl? What was his family like? What bothered her most was knowing she'd never really be able to ask him about it. Even if she did summon the courage to talk to him, even if they did have the kind of privacy the conversation would demand, he'd never open up to her like that. For now, her heart went out to him, and she found herself closer and closer to forgiving him for how he'd treated her these past weeks.

Hours later, at dinner time, she brought Daryl a tray of food, only to find him still asleep, resting peacefully on the pillows with the sheet pulled up almost to his shoulders. She set the tray down carefully on the night stand beside him and grinned as she picked up the now-dirty linens. _So he's not a complete animal._ Beth went to step back, but looking down at him again, seeing him get some decent sleep without having to be on guard, emotionally or physically, her heart thudded heavily in her chest again. _This poor man…_ she mused, quickly losing against the urge to run her fingers through his hair and kiss him on the forehead.

She saw him react as her fingernails scratched his scalp, flinching in his sleep and turning toward her, but not waking up. Before she lost her nerve, she bent over him to press her lips to his forehead. She lingered for just a moment until she felt him start to stir beneath her. She pulled back, but not so quickly as to wake him up, and backed out of the room, unable to keep her eyes off his sleeping form. She found herself wanting to take care of him in any way she could, not that he'd let her.

While they were cleaning up after the meal, Maggie mentioned how quiet she'd been all day and how Beth had been hovering around Daryl's room just in the short while Maggie had been in the house. "You were with him that day I found you all, weren't you?" she questioned.

It hurt Beth that she couldn't tell her sister everything that had happened. They used to be so close; she couldn't wait to tell Maggie when Jimmy had first asked her out, when he'd kissed her for the first time. Now she felt she was living a secret life, one in which she was no longer a naïve girl but a woman…and found herself wanting to be Daryl's woman much more than she wanted to be Jimmy's girlfriend, but couldn't tell a single soul about it.

Beth ended up shrugging off the conversation at hand, explaining that most of the group had been there, that they all watched out for each other, which was true enough, really. It may have been a lie of omission, but it seemed to satisfy Maggie's curiosity. That is, until Maggie started bringing up all the help Jimmy had done on the farm since all this had started and how upset he'd been when Beth hadn't returned home from Atlanta all those weeks ago. "I haven't noticed you two together like I thought you would be."

"Well, criminy, Maggie! I've only been back a couple days, I've been exhausted and grieving my mother and brother, plus getting all my chores done and then some. Excuse me for not jumping all over him just because he's there." She knew it was a low blow, having seen how close her sister had gotten with Glenn in such a short time, but she needed Maggie off her back before she got too suspicious. Her tactic worked; Maggie threw her dish towel on the counter and stormed out of the kitchen in a huff, leaving the rest of the dishes to be done by herself. Beth felt bad for upsetting her sister, but appreciated the time alone all the same.

The next day, Daryl had several visitors from the group, along with Hershel and Patricia checking in every now and then to check for infection on his wounds, knowing antibiotics were a rare commodity at the moment. It left very little opportunity for Beth to go and see him, even if it would be just to say hello. Even if she were to go in, she wasn't sure she trusted herself with him. Oh, she could certainly keep her hands to herself, but the questions turning over and over in her mind were already fighting to be asked, and she couldn't promise to keep her mouth shut.

She stayed close, though, either in the kitchen or just outside in the garden, in case he needed anything. She tried to stay in the moment, not dwelling on the past few weeks nor on the lives they all had before the world fell apart; she fought to keep her mind focused on the tasks at hand, not on the man recuperating in the front room of her house. She tried to be the girl her family expected her to be, bright and bubbly, always with a song in her heart, but it was mostly for show. She found very little to sing about these days.

Daryl left the next day, promising Hershel he'd take it easy to avoid pulling any stitches, and that he'd be sure to keep the wound clean. Beth felt the sting of disappointment when he didn't say goodbye to her, but figured she hadn't exactly gone out of her way to visit him. Maybe he was protecting himself as much as she was herself.

Later that week, Beth heard a loud commotion coming from the front lawn. Shane was screaming about protecting the group and how they couldn't trust the old man or Rick. She watched through the screen door as Maggie and Lori both confronted him, telling him to back down, noticing that both Glenn and Daryl had shotguns in their hands. Something on the property line drew their attention, and Beth followed the group at a distance to see her father, Jimmy, and Rick leading walkers onto the property. Both groups met in the barnyard, Shane still shouting about not being safe. Beth watched as he pulled out his pistol and opened fire on the walker her father was leading, then went to the barn doors, which she realized had been chained shut. Her blood ran cold when she saw what her father had been hiding behind those chains.

Several neighbors and even friends from town came stumbling out of the barn doors…but she couldn't really call them people anymore. They had all turned. Beth felt absolutely nauseous. What was her family doing keeping these walkers locked in the barn? She had a horrible feeling about who else she might see among the undead.

She realized no one had ever shown her where her mother and brother had been buried. She had just assumed they'd be with the rest of her ancestors in the family cemetery on the far corner of the property. She'd never imagined…

…and soon she didn't have to. One behind the other, together even in this horrible excuse for an afterlife, were Annette and Shawn, emaciated and decomposing, their faces twisted into unnatural snarls. They had barely cleared the opening when someone had shot each of them, dropping them like the dead weight they were. Her heart sank to the ground along with them. She vaguely acknowledged a collective gasp from the group, barely recognized movement coming from the opening in the barn doors. Somehow her brain registered that Sophia had followed her family members into the sunlight, but couldn't tear her eyes away from her mother's body laying lifeless on the ground.

When the bullets stopped flying, she made her way across the dozens of bodies now lying around to go to her mother. Beth gingerly pulled on her shoulder, trying to roll her to a face-up position. In an instant, the walker reached up at her face, pulling at her hair; clearly the shot that had dropped her was only superficial. Beth vaguely heard a commotion around her, hands pulling at her to get her out of harm's way, but she fought against them and reached into her boot. A moment later, it was all over, her mother's lifeless blood oozing over her knuckles as she pulled the knife from her temple. "I'm sorry, Mama," she whispered, tears starting to fill her eyes, then she pushed herself to her feet and trudged back to the farmhouse.

Emotions were swirling through her, anger among the strongest of them. Anger that she'd had to put down her own mother. That her family had been keeping a secret of their own from her. She realized then that they thought she wouldn't have been able to handle the truth. That, even after what she'd been through, she was still seen as little Bethy. That her father had been foolish enough to doubt what was staring him right in the face – that these people were not just sick, but dead and alive all at once.

That she hadn't put it together on her own any sooner. She had even noticed chickens going missing, but was never able to find a hole in any of the fences for them to escape or foxes or hawks to get in. Had someone been feeding those monsters?

She refused to talk to anyone immediately after. She may have been angry, but she still loved and respected her father and sister, as well as Patricia, and would rather avoid any conversation or confrontation before she had calmed down to keep herself from saying something she knew she'd regret.

Instead, she stayed in her room, mourning the loss of life all over again. The first walker she'd ever put down herself and it was her own mother. Beth let her heart and her mind heal themselves as much as they could while she kept herself in seclusion. She didn't let herself wallow like she had when they'd first made it to the farm. There was so much work to be done. Besides, if she wanted her family to see her as an adult and not little Bethy, she needed to step up and really start pulling her weight around the farm.

First thing the next morning, Beth was at work with the chickens, then tending the gardens, before starting up breakfast for everyone. All morning she'd had a strange feeling in her stomach, but chalked it up to not eating dinner the night before and getting so much done already that morning, all on an empty stomach. She only nibbled on a peach, not wanting anything too heavy that might upset her stomach further, then set to cleaning up and finding her next task to complete.

She vaguely heard Lori and Andrea having a discussion in the next room over. Their voices became more and more muddled as the room began to spin around her.

The next thing she knew, Beth was laying in her bed with a cool cloth on her forehead. Maggie was sitting next to her, worry painted all over her face. "What happened?" Beth croaked out, surprising her sister out of her thoughts.

"You tell me," she answered. "Lori says one minute you were finishing up dishes, the next you were on the floor unconscious. You okay?"

Beth sat up a little in her bed, "Yeah, I think so. I must have overdone it this morning is all. I just need more food in me I guess."

"Well," Maggie replied, with her over-bearing sisterly tone, "I think you should probably take it easy. I'll go get some lunch for you."

Something felt off between her and her sister. Maggie was in some kind of mood and Beth wasn't sure where it was coming from. "Maggie," she called out before she could leave the room. "What's going on?"

The older sister turned on her heel, inhaling sharply through her nose, her jaw clenched tightly. "Andrea was with Lori when you fainted. She had to come get me to help carry you upstairs because Lori can't lift anything. Why? Because she's pregnant." Maggie began pacing as she ranted, "Glenn and I risk our damn lives for her and her abortion pills and she doesn't even take them. That selfish, stupid… Who the hell is stupid enough to get herself knocked up now? In this world? Damn idiot woman."

As her sister continued to vent her frustrations, a cold chill ran down Beth's spine. It had been several weeks since the dead started walking the earth, surely more than a month. Her mind ticked back to try to remember when her last cycle had been, and the numbers added up. She knew then and there exactly why she had fainted that morning.

Beth fought to control her expression as well as her breathing. When Maggie finally left her room to head downstairs to the kitchen, Beth pushed herself out of her bed and toward the bathroom between her and Maggie's room. She remembered last year when Maggie and her boyfriend at the time had a pregnancy scare and she had to buy home tests, two different brands, to find out just how much trouble she was going to be in. Fortunately for Maggie, both tests had come up negative; fortunately for Beth, she still had one of each brand hidden in their shared "female drawer," just in case. She held the boxes with shaking hands, reading and re-reading the instructions and checking for an expiration date.

This was one time where she was almost glad being nervous always made her have to pee. She only had a few minutes before Maggie would return to use one of the tests.

Three long minutes later, she had her answer with a faint pink plus sign.

She wrapped the used test carefully in toilet paper and put it back in the drawer along with the still unused one, which she was planning to use the next chance she got. She knew she wouldn't be able to go to her doctor to make sure the tests were accurate, so she figured two different brands of tests would have to be good enough.

Later that evening, her answer hadn't changed, two blue lines staring up at her from the white stick in her hand. She wrapped this test the same way as she had the first and stowed it in the drawer, knowing if she just threw them in the wastebasket that Maggie would definitely see them. She'd have to sneak them out and throw them in the woods or something to prevent anyone else from finding them.

The next day, Maggie hovered over her constantly, never letting her out of her sight. When she did manage to convince her sister that she was fine, her freedom didn't last long before Jimmy hounded her with questions and jumping to help her with every little task she'd set out to do. Beth just couldn't handle the worried thoughts spinning in her head and put up with Jimmy, not if she wanted to maintain any sense of sanity. Finally she snapped.

"Jimmy, I can handle this. I'm just fine. I don't need you…" she trailed off, seeing the shocked look on his face. She realized she didn't finish her statement and knew she had to break it off with him then and there, no matter how much she knew it would hurt him. It wasn't right to string him along, not when she knew she didn't feel the same way he did. Not when she was carrying another man's baby.

"I don't need you," she whispered, looking at her fingers twisting around each other. "I can't do this, Jimmy. I love you, but I'm not in love with you. I don't want you thinking we're going to stay together just because of the way things are now. Neither of us deserve that." She lifted her eyes to meet his, steeling her heart against the look of confusion and pain she found there. "I'm sorry," she said before turning and making her way to the garden, hoping to find some peace in the work that needed to be done there.

She probably would have felt worse about it if her mind weren't being filled with thoughts and worries about having a baby, Daryl's baby, at the end of the world. Beth began to notice her breasts becoming tender, and had a noticeable decrease in appetite, though she forced herself to at least eat something at each meal. She was thankful that she didn't have any morning sickness, at least not yet. She wasn't sure how she'd hide that from her family.

Life went on as normally as it could in the days that followed, though Beth found herself avoiding her family, convinced they would somehow be able to tell something was different. It wasn't until later in the week that Maggie cornered Beth inside the chicken coop, two white plastic sticks in her hand and a look of fury on her face. "What the hell are these?"

"Maggie, I…"

"Tell me, _tell me_ , these aren't yours." Beth's silence was her answer. "Oh my god," Maggie whispered, the color draining from her face. "Who?" she demanded after a moment of tortured silence. Beth only answered her with more silence. "It had _better_ be Jimmy's if you want any chance of staying in the house."

Beth frowned, "You can't tell me where to…" she trailed off when Maggie raised an eyebrow at her, realization sparking in the back of her mind and the pit of her stomach. "Maggie, you can't tell Daddy," she pleaded.

"Like hell I can't," she said, much louder than Beth wanted her to. "He was ready to kick me out just for messing around with a guy. When he finds out you're knocked up, and you know he will…I don't even know what he'd do."

Tears pricked her eyes, knowing Maggie was, in all probability, absolutely right. "Maggie, please. I'll tell him, I will. Please don't say anything to anyone."

Maggie stared at Beth a moment before shoving the pregnancy tests into her chest, practically spitting out, "Fine, but make it soon." She turned on her heel, stomping out of the chicken coop, leaving Beth with her tears and thoughts and a basket half full of eggs.

"Margaret, what's put a bee in your bonnet?" Beth heard her father say from just outside the coop. Her blood turned to ice in her veins as her heart froze in her chest.

"Just having a conversation, Daddy," she answered. Beth could still hear the anger in her voice.

"Must have been some conversation," Hershel responded. "Dare I ask who's got you so riled up?"

Beth swallowed, trying to keep herself from getting sick, and thinking fast, put the tests in the basket under what few eggs she had collected. They weren't exactly hidden under the brown eggs, but she figured it was better than walking out with them in her hand. Taking one more bracing breath, Beth walked out to join her father and sister outside. "It's just me, Daddy."

Hershel looked back and forth between his daughters with concern. "What's going on?"

Maggie shot Beth a look as if to say, "here's your chance." "Just a sisterly spat, I guess," Beth chickened out. She flinched when Maggie scoffed loudly and stormed off.

"A spat, huh?" Hershel asked suspiciously. A silent moment passed, him waiting for an answer, and Beth scrambling to find a way to tell her father that wouldn't result in her being kicked out. "How're the girls doing today?" Beth looked up at him, confused. He took a step closer and she automatically pulled back away from him. "Not many eggs today. The chickens doing okay?" He reached into the basket, doing a quick count of its contents, then stopped abruptly. Beth knew exactly what he'd found before he pulled them from the basket. "Elizabeth," his voice grew steely cold. "Is there something you'd like to tell me?"

Her heart was pounding in her chest; her cheeks flushed in shame, two fat, hot tears rolling down them. "I'm sorry, Daddy," she whispered.

"Don't 'Daddy' me, young lady," his voice grew louder, but kept its iciness. "You'd better start explaining yourself right now."

Beth couldn't bring herself to look up at him to answer. "I was lost and he said he'd take care of me if I… I didn't think anyone else would help me so I…I had to and I'm so sorry, Daddy. I didn't know what else to do."

Several minutes went by without either of them talking. Beth started to feel faint again, her stomach churning as she worked to keep herself from hyperventilating.

"I didn't raise you to put yourself in a situation like this. I thought you knew better. No daughter of mine would behave so…reprehensibly." Beth looked up at him, holding her tongue, knowing that arguing with her father wouldn't be a wise decision at that point, even though Maggie got away with so much over the years (although, she never wound up pregnant, so anything Beth could say would be moot anyway). "As far as I'm concerned, you're his responsibility. He took care of you then, he can take care of you now." Without another word, he turned and walked away toward the edge of the property.

Beth's knees gave out from under her, her breath rushing out of her lungs as if she'd been punched in the gut. While she knew it was a possibility, she didn't want to think her father would really ever kick her out. She was in too much shock to cry, to chase her father down and beg him to reconsider, to find Maggie and ask her to intercede on her behalf. She just sat, her fingers grasping at the grass beneath them, the basket upended next to her with broken eggs oozing over the ground as she fought to regain her breath.

When she had collected herself, she made her way to the house, up the stairs to her room to pack some of her things that she'd need, not knowing if she'd ever be allowed in the house again.

Which brought her to Daryl's tent, awaiting his return. In the meantime, she would just stay inside and wait, not ready to face anyone else for the time being. It was nearly dark when the flaps of the tent flew open and Daryl stooped to join her inside. She looked up at him, terrified of what he would say.

He dropped his crossbow in the corner and sat cross-legged on the opposite side from Beth. He pulled his knees up to rest his elbows on them and sighed heavily. "So now what?"

 _ **I'm sorry it took so long to get this up for you all. I can't thank you enough for your patience with me. I've got the next chapter ready, just needs one final read-through before I post it later this week (which is what took so long in getting this one posted - I wanted to make sure you'd have Daryl's reaction right away rather than making you wait however long it took me to finish chapter 11...if that makes sense.)**_

 _ **Thanks again for reading - please leave a review!**_


	11. Chapter 11

**As promised, here's the next chapter showing Daryl's reaction to the news. That's the good news.**

 **The bad news is I'm not sure when the next chapter will be up. Life is getting way too busy (a full-time job, a two year old, a four month old, the whole moving process to find a house big enough for our family) and something has to give.**

 **I promise you I will come back to this when I can. I promise I will finish all my fics (this one is all planned out, it just needs to be typed up). But I need to prioritize and taking these off my plate for a while is something I just have to do right now.**

 **Thank you all for the wonderful support for this story so far.**

"So what now?"

Beth blinked up at him. "What do you mean 'what now?'" a rush of panic ran through her. "You said if my dad kicked me out, I could stay with you."

"Shit," Daryl muttered, then turned and paced away from her, muttering a string of profanities before turning back to her. "The hell we gonna do with a baby? Damn thing's gonna be a dinner bell every time it cries."

Tears pricked Beth's eyes when he called the baby such a harsh name. Even though this was something neither of them had expected, she felt protective of it already. She was raised to believe all life was precious. She wanted so badly to tell Daryl exactly that, but kept quiet, seeing as how her safety, and now that of their baby, depended on him.

"Thought girls like you were on the pill or something," he said after a quiet moment, pulling her from her thoughts.

"Girls like me? That's an awful big assumption, don't you think?" she questioned.

Daryl muttered something under his breath, bringing his hand to his mouth to chew on the corner of his thumb. "Coulda fuckin' said somethin'."

"You could have asked. I was terrified, of you, of being on my own, of the walkers. It's not like I was thinking of…protection. Well, other than…" she trailed off as he lifted his eyes to meet hers.

"The fuck you scared-a me for?" Beth swallowed, her throat suddenly gone dry. "C'mon, girl," he barked at her, "usually can't shut you up."

Beth fiddled with a loose thread on the hem of her shirt. "You were making me do things I've never done before, making me think it was my only option, and maybe it was," she shrugged. "Maybe it still is. Even now, I don't know what's going to happen to me, and I'm terrified. It all depends on you. My own family won't take me in, and I can't imagine anyone else jumping at the chance to help me, especially now. All you have to do is say 'too bad,' and I'm done for." She looked back up at him, blinking back the tears forming in her eyes.

Daryl sighed heavily, hanging his head down to his chest and running his fingers through his hair, pulling at the roots, then sitting back up and scrubbing his hands up and down his face. "Ain't there a pill or somethin' you can take? Get rid of it?"

Beth shrugged again, "It's called the morning after pill, not the month after. I'm not sure it would work anyway. And even if…"

"Even if what?" he growled at her.

Beth took a deep breath before whispering, "I'm not sure I'd want to take it anyway."

"Oh, fucking Christ," he said, standing up and beginning to pace in front of her. "How the hell you gonna keep it quiet, keep it from callin' every damn walker from here to Timbuktu from finding us?"

Beth pulled further into herself. "I don't know. I guess I just hope either Daddy lets me back in the house when the baby is born…"

Daryl interrupted, "And in case you haven't noticed, it's starting to get colder out. How the fuck am I supposed to keep takin' care of you? Got two ratty ol' sleepin' bags between the two of us, game's gonna start goin' into hiding for the winter. What in the holy fuck am I supposed to do?"

He looked like he was ready to burst with anger, his throat straining the more he fought to keep his voice from yelling, and his face turning a shade of red she'd never seen on him. Somehow Beth knew he was lashing out at her out of fear. She tried her best not to take his anger too personally. The problem was, she didn't have any answers for him, but she sure as hell wasn't about to just give up. "I guess we just gotta have a little faith."

"Oh Jesus…" Daryl started a tirade of profanities as he stormed out of the tent again. This time, Beth knew he hadn't gone far. She heard a rhythmic thumping not far off from the entrance to the tent. After a solid five minutes, maybe closer to ten, the sound stopped and was replaced by slow, heavy footsteps. When Daryl came back inside, plopping himself on the ground across from her and letting his hands drape over his knees, Beth could see his bloody knuckles even in the fading light of dusk.

"Daryl…what happened to your hand?" She asked softly, but he only glared at her in response. "What did you hit out there, there's nothing but…" Realization hit her and she scooted across the ground to sit directly in front of him. She gently lifted his hand to examine his wounds. Sure enough, there were tiny pieces of bark and splinters embedded in the bloody flesh covering his knuckles. "You beat up a tree?"

His growl warned her to stop asking questions, that his anger could just as easily be taken out on her. She took a calming breath and set herself to find some bandages in her bag to wrap his hands so they wouldn't get infected. She rummaged through to the bottom of her bag, thankful she'd grabbed Shawn's Swiss Army knife. She could use the small tweezers to debride his wounds. She'd have to find some antiseptic or peroxide in the morning. For the moment, she needed better light to see to extract the splinters and do what she could to help him. She ran out to the woods just outside the tent to find some kindling and, remembering what Daryl had taught her, started a small fire. Now she just had to convince him to join her outside.

"Daryl?" she called softly, "can I at least look at your hands out here? I don't want them getting infected." She heard him mutter something, but no movement from him getting up. "Daryl? Would you please come out here?" Still nothing.

At this point, her patience was being severely tested. Blame it on the hormones, blame it on not having eaten anything since breakfast, blame it on his reaction to her news, but she had finally reached her boiling point.

"Daryl Dixon, get your…ass…out here!"

She thought she heard the slightest movement coming from within the tent. After a moment, Daryl poked his head through the flaps, some combination of anger, disbelief and even a modicum of respect crossing his face. "The fuck you just say to me?"

Beth swallowed down the fear bubbling up, hoping her voice would remain steady. "You heard me," she said, significantly softer than moments ago. "Your hands look pretty bad, and I want to make sure we do what we can before they get any worse. Would you please come here?" she ended with a sigh of exhaustion.

Daryl literally dragged his feet along the ground, kicking up dust and pieces of dying grass as he went, before settling near Beth by the fire. Beth rolled her eyes and reached over, taking his hand into her lap to begin her examination. His skin was still angry-looking, still oozing blood here and there, but she was able to pick out several pieces of wood and bark with little complaint from her reluctant patient.

"So what the hell we gonna do?" he said after several minutes of silence between them.

Beth glanced up at him to find his eyes already on her. "I dunno," she said lamely with half a shrug as she turned her attention back to his hands. "Take it one day at a time, I guess. Don't really have a plan." She was quiet for a minute before adding, "I didn't plan any of this, Daryl. If it had crossed my mind even once, I would have said something."

Another long minute passed before she heard him reply, barely above a whisper, "I know you didn't." He blew out a frustrated breath. "So, what, am I supposed to marry you now?"

Beth nearly dropped the tweezers as her head snapped up to look at him to find his expression completely serious. "I…" she started, not sure how to respond. "I hadn't really thought about that either. It's not like we can run to a chapel or even to City Hall or have any kind of a ceremony. Guess you're off the hook." She tried to keep her voice light to keep from showing how nervous she was about the whole thing.

"As long as your daddy don't come after me with a shotgun." Beth couldn't help but laugh at his response, her heart relaxing a little when she saw his smirk in return. It appeared he'd accepted their situation, at least. He may not be happy about it, but he'd accepted it, and that was at least a positive step.

It also reaffirmed what she'd come to realize – that deep, deep down, Daryl was a good man. Deep, deep down, somehow she'd always known he would do the right thing.

"You hungry?" Daryl asked. When Beth nodded, he got up to retrieve what ended up being two squirrels that he'd left at the corner of the tent. He pulled out his knife, fumbling with it a little since Beth had already wrapped his hand in a bandage. Beth gently took it from him and went to work preparing their simple meal, leaving his other hand to deal with while the meat cooked. She had to fight quite a few bouts of nausea while she skinned the animals and prepped them to be roasted over their tiny fire, but she managed as best she could. She was grateful for the fresh air and the light breeze to carry the smell of cooking meat away from her over-sensitive nose. She just hoped she'd be able to keep everything down once she started eating.

Once they'd eaten and put out the tiny fire, they crawled into the tent. Daryl lay on the sleeping bag first, opening his arms to offer her a place beside him. Her shoulders sagged with relief as she knelt beside him then curled up, laying her head on his bicep. Her heart skipped a beat, her breath caught in her throat, when his other arm came around her and draped over her waist, caging her with his strength, though not in any kind of imposing way. It was…almost intimate. He buried his nose in her hair, and she swore she could feel him press a kiss to the top of her head.

"Where did you go?" she asked, the question popping into her head suddenly. He pulled back a little and although she couldn't see him in the darkness surrounding them, she could feel his questioning gaze. "After I told you, you took off and were gone for hours. Where did you go?"

"Out," he said shortly. She wanted to say something about acting like a pissy teenager, but held her tongue and trusted her own facial expression to cut through the darkness back to him. He sighed, and she knew she'd won. "Needed to try and think shit out. Really needed to get away so I wouldn't take it all out on you. Figured we'd need food for tonight on the way back." He took another deep breath, held it like he was going to add something else, but released it as he pulled her back into his chest.

Beth took a wild stab in the dark, "I'm scared, too, Daryl." She felt him tense up next to her, but didn't pull away, so she pressed on, "I have no idea what I'm doing, what to expect, what we'll need. The only thing I know about babies is from babysitting. I don't know how to make this work in this world. I wouldn't even know how to make this work if things were still the same as…before."

"Wouldn'ta happened," he muttered, and now it was her turn to pull back and look at him, waiting for him to explain. "You and what's his name woulda got married and had kids, yer daddy woulda handed the farm over to ya, y'all woulda been happier than pigs in shit." She could feel him loosening his hold on her, but she wrapped her fists into the front of his shirt to keep him from getting too far away.

"Don't be too sure of that," she said softly. "Me and _Jimmy_ ," she said pointedly, "had only just started going out when all this happened. And I really only said yes because we'd been friends for so long, we were practically dating anyway. I had no long-term plans with him. I wanted to go to college before I got married, and all kinds of things could have happened between now and then." _Who knows? I might have met a rough and rugged redneck at some bar on my twenty-first birthday,_ she mused to herself, and was grateful for the darkness hiding her smile at the thought. She yawned and readjusted herself in Daryl's arms before settling again. "Can we go on a run tomorrow? I wanna see if there's a book at the library or something that'll…help."

Daryl let out a yawning sigh, "I guess so."

Beth held in her own sigh. He had gone from being angry, probably angrier than her own father had been, to accepting, to now ready to help her. She felt her heart swell at the thought and reached up to kiss his cheek before she could stop herself. "Thank you, Daryl. Good night."

A moment later, when sleep had just started to find her, she heard him whisper back, "G'night, Beth."

.oOo.

When Beth woke, the sun had just crested above the horizon. She blinked at the unfamiliar surroundings before remembering she was in Daryl's tent…in Daryl's arms. They had apparently shifted over the course of the night and he was now laying behind her, his strong arm still draped around her waist. Now, however, there was a noticeable hardness pressing against her backside. Completely blaming it on her hormones, she pressed her butt against it, grinning at the low, gravelly moan that rumbled into her ear and shot straight to between her legs. She turned her head to look at the man behind her, not quite surprised to find him just starting to wake up with her. "Morning," she whispered up to him as he supported his upper half on his elbow and looked down at her through bleary eyes.

"Morning," he grumbled. Beth rolled onto her back to keep from having to crane her neck to see him any longer. She noticed his expression change from barely awake to thoughtful to something almost conniving. "So…" he started.

"So?" Beth repeated, already guessing what was coming. The time for talking things out and trying to formulate a plan and having a tiny semblance of a relationship with each other was over. The Daryl she'd first met in the woods was back now.

"Well, it's been a couple weeks, and if we're picking the deal back up, means you gotta hold up your end-a things 's much as I do. 'Specially if you want me to take you out on a run today."

Beth was disappointed that the sweetness and thoughtfulness he'd shown last night, brief as it had been, was completely gone now. Truth be told, she'd thought of Daryl like this more often than not in the few weeks since she'd been back in her family's house. It was the main reason she kept herself at a distance from him while he recuperated. She found herself drawn to him, wanting him, needing him.

It had to be the hormones. Yes, that was it.

But she couldn't let Daryl know that. She sighed inwardly and nodded, moving to unbutton her jeans and push them over her hips. Daryl pulled at the hem of her shirt to pull it up to uncover her breasts, still hidden in her bra. He pulled one cup lower to expose her nipple and immediately dropped his mouth to suck it between his lips.

"Ow," Beth gasped in pain, causing Daryl's head to snap up. "They're…really sensitive now."

"Thought they always were," he said, narrowing his eyes at her. It wasn't necessarily flirty, but he wasn't necessarily really questioning her, either.

"Yeah, but it hurts now. Just…please be careful," she whispered, relieved when he seemed to take her plea into consideration before kissing just above her belly button and moving lower, dragging her underwear down her legs to join her pants now bunched around her ankles. A moment later, she was naked from the waist down and Daryl had positioned himself between her legs. Rather than undoing his own pants, he let his fingers wander between her thighs, teasing her tender flesh, drawing moisture out from her center, even teasing her clit with his tongue as his fingers slid into her. She closed her eyes and let the sensations wash over her as he sent her body humming with want, need, readiness.

She had no idea how long he'd been at it when he stopped, just as she felt an orgasm starting to build. She looked down her body to see him there, sitting back on his feet as he unbuckled his belt and undid his pants, pulling them down just enough to allow his cock to spring free. With one hand on the back of her thigh, spreading her legs to open for him, he guided the head of his member to her center, spreading and combining her wetness with his own before looking up at her to make sure she was ready. Beth bit into her lower lip and nodded, then immediately brought her hand up to cover her mouth to prevent any noises from coming out when Daryl slid all the way into her in one stroke.

"Holy shit," he hissed through clenched teeth. He leaned over her, supporting himself so as not to crush her, angling his hips so his pelvic bone would rub against her clit on each stroke. He dropped even lower, shifting his weight to his elbows and whispered wickedly in her ear, "Missed you, girl. Missed yer tight little pussy." She squeaked out a tiny moan as he filled her senses. He pulled her hands above her head, holding them in one of his, and bent his neck to kiss her, swallowing the sweet sounds she was making. She pulled her knees closer to her chest, allowing him to sink deeper into her, and he groaned at the feeling. "Oh, shit yes, girl. Feels so fuckin' good," he whispered against her lips between kisses.

Daryl was completely surrounding her, flooding her senses with his voice, his strength, his distinctly Daryl smell, and Beth felt herself losing control as her orgasm washed over her. Her jaw dropped, a scream caught in her throat as her body clenched around him and felt him throb inside her. They both released the breaths they'd been holding as they each climaxed; they both gasped air into their lungs as their bodies began to relax into each other. Daryl rolled onto his side, careful not to let his weight crush Beth as they both panted to catch their breath.

"You okay?" he asked softly. She nodded, turning onto her side to see him fully. Daryl brought his hand up to tuck a loose piece of hair back behind her ear then leaned in for a soft kiss against her lips. "I meant what I said," he added, resting his forehead against hers. "I missed you these past couple weeks."

Beth wasn't sure if he meant he missed getting to have sex or if he actually missed her, so she just stayed quiet, letting the calm around them last a while longer before they'd have to go and start their day outside of the tent. She blamed her hormones again, but found herself looking forward to spending her nights and mornings with Daryl. If she were honest, it was more than his protection she wanted from him.

Without much further ado, they joined the rest of the group for a quick breakfast, ignoring the curious glances they received from the others. Everyone discussed the plan for the day, most of it revolving around what to do with the boy Rick, Glenn and Hershel had brought back from town when the rest of his group had left him behind, injured. Beth hadn't seen him, only heard there was someone Rick didn't trust that they were keeping in the now empty barn. Now that his wounds had begun to heal, they'd agreed that this "kid" needed to go. The best plan they could come up with was to have Shane and Rick drive him several miles out, arm him with a knife, and set him on his way.

Daryl took off on his bike with Beth holding tight to him following Shane and Rick down the long dirt driveway, turning right toward town where they turned left down the highway. Beth noticed that Daryl took the ride nice and easy, not racing along like she'd expected him to now that they were off on their own for the day. She wondered if he was doing it because of her, because of the unseen passenger on the bike, or if he simply wanted to take a leisurely ride that day.

"Where to?" he shouted over his shoulder as the edge of town came into view and he slowed down even more to be able to hear her easily.

"There's a library downtown," Beth suggested.

Daryl shook his head, "Ain't no way we're gonna try an' clear out a damn library by ourselves. Ain't you got a bookstore or somethin' smaller like that?"

Beth thought for a moment. "Turn left at the next stop sign," she directed him. There was a little "book nook" next to a tiny café down one of the side streets downtown. She loved going there, loved the smell of the books, even if it was just to look. Beth had always been mindful of her spending and wanted to save as much as she could rather than blow what little she had in one fell swoop.

A lot of good that saving did her now.

When Daryl parked a couple doors past the bookstore, Beth looked at him questioningly. "In case that kid's buddies decide to show up again. Don't wanna make it too easy for them to find us." They stayed in the shadow of the awning lining the row of stores and doubled back to the book store, which was luckily left unlocked. Daryl instructed her to get her knife out and to stay in the main entryway while he made sure the store was clear of walkers and humans alike. Beth made sure she was still hidden from the windows, then took a deep breath, enjoying the familiar smell filling her nose. When Daryl gave the all clear, she moved directly to the section she needed, knowing the layout of the store as if she'd been employed there.

She found a "What to Expect" book that seemed to be popular and flipped open to start scanning the information for the first month. "Can we stop at the pharmacy before we head back?" she asked. Daryl gave her an odd look, so she explained, "It says I should be taking vitamins. They'll help me as much as the baby." Daryl just nodded in response, the corner of his thumb caught between his teeth. On their way back to the street, Beth stopped by the register to grab as many candy bars, bottles of water, and anything else they had there on display that she thought might be able to help.

The pharmacy was across the street and down a block from where they were. Daryl supposed they'd be alright walking rather than taking the bike with them, they'd just have to be cautious. Maggie and Glenn had been in the same pharmacy at least a couple times, so it took no time at all to make sure everything was still clear. The door to the shelves of prescription meds was locked; before Beth could climb over the counter, Daryl had put his arm in front of her to stop her and vaulted over it himself. "What am I lookin' for?"

"Prenatal vitamins. Don't know if they have an actual name besides that." She continued to browse through the chapter and called out, "I'm going to look in the supplements for some other stuff. They're just down this aisle." When she heard his approving grunt, she grinned and made her way to find what was left on the shelves that she could use. There wasn't a lot of selection, but she figured some was better than none. Daryl hadn't returned yet, so Beth wandered the store, grabbing things here and there that she deemed useful and stuffing them in her bag.

She had finished walking down the last aisle and turned to head back to the pharmacy counter only to run smack into a solid wall of…a person. She gasped in fear, her first thought was that it was someone from the group Rick and Daryl were so worried about that had followed them in. Before she could react, his strong hands were gripping her shoulders firmly, most likely leaving bruises, and shoving her back at arms' length. She looked up, terrified of what she'd find, and immediately relieved that it was Daryl. "The fuck you doin'?" his voice hissed at her, barely containing the anger behind it.

"I…I was just getting stuff I might need," she tried to explain.

"You say you're gonna be somewhere, you fuckin' be there," Daryl seethed at her. Beth wasn't sure what the big deal was; the store was clear and no one had come in after them. Still, he was obviously concerned about her.

Beth swallowed the dryness out of her mouth. She was shaken, not just by the fear of someone sneaking up on her like that, but by Daryl's reaction as well. He was becoming increasingly protective of her, and it made her imagination run wild. "I'm sorry, Daryl," she said with sincerity. "I wasn't thinking."

"Yeah…" he agreed, muttering something that Beth couldn't quite make out, before turning her around and unzipping her bag and shoving something in before closing it again. He stomped past her toward the front door, and Beth did her best to hide her grin, knowing by the added rattle when she moved that he'd found the vitamins he was looking for…for her.

They made their way back to the bike without incident. Beth wondered if there really was a group of men to be worried about, if this kid had made it all up. How awful for one of their people to be left behind and no one come back to look for him. She realized once again how lucky she was to have a family…well, to have someone that cared about her, anyway. She hoped her father and sister would forgive her and allow her back into her home, her family. Until that happened, she was more than grateful that Daryl hadn't turned his back on her as well, no matter how upset he was that they were going to have a baby together.

.oOo.

As they rode back to the farm, Daryl was still trying to wrap his head around the fact that Beth was pregnant. He didn't know the first thing about raising kids, let alone at the goddamn end of the world. Either way he looked at it, he'd made a promise to Beth, and while it would have been easy to turn tail and say she wasn't his problem anymore, he felt a sense of responsibility toward her. The girl was depending on him. He knew what it was like to be cast aside by a parent, and a girl as sweet as she was shouldn't have to go through that for any reason.

Especially if he caused that reason.

He still couldn't believe this was all happening. He could practically hear Merle heckling him for 'not wearin' a raincoat where things get wet.' What a fucking dumbass he'd been.

To be perfectly honest, he couldn't help himself resenting Beth for wanting to keep the baby. The more he thought about it, the more it made sense. Her daddy was the one who believed walkers were just sick, kept them in a damn barn hoping for a cure. To have that kind of blind faith that everything would be okay…well, now he knew were Beth got it from. He also knew there was no arguing.

God, he couldn't believe how stupid he'd been. How careless. No sense in complaining now. No amount of faith or complaining had ever gotten him anywhere. Now it was time to just suck it up and deal with it.

Meanwhile, he could've sworn he felt Beth leaning her head against his back, readjusting her arms around him as she sighed. The girl was happy. This shitty, fucked up world had dealt her the worst hand possible, and she was still happy. And for some reason he couldn't figure out, he didn't necessarily mind feeling her wrap herself around him. Not that he'd ever admit that to anyone. Not even to himself.

When they'd returned, Beth insisted on sharing what they'd found with the rest of the group, even her family, but didn't want to be the one to present their haul to them. She claimed she was just tired from going on the run, that she wanted to get as much reading done as she could. Something told Daryl she wasn't quite ready to face all the questioning looks everyone else would be sure to give her.

Like he was really looking forward to it.

He approached the group quietly, hearing a heated discussion between Rick and Shane. From what he could gather, this Randall kid had known all along exactly where he was being held. Said he knew Maggie, knew how to find the house. They couldn't let him go like they'd planned because they didn't know if he'd just bring his own group back here.

A chill ran through Daryl. Maggie might not have remembered him; Daryl figured she was at least a year or two older than Randall, so she probably never gave two thoughts about him, at school or here on the farm. But Beth, few things escaped Beth. The girl was quick, sharp. If she'd seen him, she'd have recognized him, hopefully said something to someone.

And if Beth recognized Randall, surely he'd recognize her. Kid would have to be a blind idiot not to. And if he saw her…

A flare of jealousy ran through Daryl.

Without any further thought on the matter, Daryl offered to take things into his own hands, see if he could get more information out of him. He figured Rick would be too nice about it, Shane would go too far. And now he had his own reasons for finding out what the kid knew. If anything, he could release a little frustration while he was doing it.

His hands had healed a little, and he was oddly grateful that Beth had taken such care in wrapping them the night before. True, he'd basically undone all her work as he worked over Randall, throwing punch after punch in search of what the kid knew, but it wouldn't do any good for Daryl to wince in pain with every hit. In any event, he found out just what kind of group this Randall kid was part of. When he reported back to Rick and the rest, they agreed they couldn't let the kid go anywhere.

Now they were torn as to what to do with him. That wasn't completely true – Dale was the only one hellbent on letting the kid live. Normally Daryl wouldn't have really given two shits, but now, with Beth, knowing what these men were capable of if they found her, if Randall were to try anything…hell, Daryl would pull the trigger himself. He had the feeling everyone else felt the same way, that Randall had to die, but no one actually wanted to say it.

Rather than hearing them all piss and moan about saving their humanity and flip-flopping back and forth over what to do, Daryl agreed with Dale that the group was broken and returned to his tent, to Beth. He had the length of the walk across the field to decide what to tell her, how to explain his knuckles getting banged up again.

Later that night, after they'd shared a noticeably quiet meal, Beth and Daryl crawled into their tent. Once the fire was out, there wasn't exactly a lot to do, so they stretched out on the sleeping bags for the night, Beth curled into him, her head resting on his shoulder. It was oddly relaxing, having her in his arms, his fingers tracing indiscriminate designs on her soft skin. If he weren't so wiped from everything that'd happened that day, he'd have tried to get something started between them, but for now, he was content just where he was.

That is until they heard someone screaming bloody murder from across the field. The sound wasn't coming from the direction of the house, but closer to where the tent was set up. He ordered Beth to stay in the tent, to get her knife out, keep the lantern off, then ran like hell to find out what the fuck was going on. What he saw nearly made his heart stop: a walker eating a still screaming Dale. Daryl rushed to his side, stabbed the walker in the head, and called for help, though he knew no amount of stitches was going to be able to repair the damage the walker had done. As Rick and the others arrived, Daryl could only look at Dale's face, his eyes silently begging for release from his last moments of pain.

He could only mumble out a quiet, "Sorry, brother," before pulling the trigger.

Daryl eventually made it back to his tent, not having any kind of clue how long it took, just walking in a daze. He shouldn't have been surprised when Beth held her knife pointed at him. Hell, she was doing exactly what he'd told her to do. Nevertheless, there he was, staring at the business end of her knife, not remembering how he'd gotten there.

"Daryl," Beth exclaimed in a whisper and lowered her knife as soon as she realized what she was doing. She rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. Shit, how long had he been gone? "I heard a shot. Is everyone okay?"

He could only shake his head and whisper, "Dale. Walker got 'im."

Beth gasped; he could practically hear the tears filling her eyes as she looked up at him. She didn't ask any questions, and he didn't tell her anything beyond that, but he could feel the shift between them. Somehow, he realized she knew he'd been the one to pull the trigger. Without another word, she pulled back, taking his crossbow from his shoulder and setting it down in its usual corner before pulling Daryl to the sleeping bag, his hands in hers. She lay down first, settling on his pillow while he stood there numbly. In the faint moonlight that filtered through the vinyl walls, he saw her extend her arm to him. He followed her silent command and let himself drop to his knees next to her before lying beside her.

A slender arm pushed its way beneath his head, around his neck, and pulled him into her body, cradling and comforting him in a way he'd never experienced. All the shit he'd been through, he'd never had someone just hold him like this with no further expectations. Daryl tensed at first when he felt her move beneath him, then felt her fingers carding through his hair. The more she did it, the more he felt himself eventually relax.

He wasn't about to make a habit of it, but it was nice for now. For now, he'd let sleep find them and worry about tomorrow when it got there.

 **Thank you for reading - please take a moment and leave a review!**


	12. Chapter 12

**I do feel bad that this story is taking so long for me to complete. These two little boys are running their mama ragged. I thank you all for your patience. I do try to write a little ever day, but sometimes I just...can't.  
Anyway, enough excuses. Thanks to all who are still hanging in there. I appreciate every favorite, follow and review!  
This is also my submission for tumblr's Summer of Bethyl 2018 prompt - Fear. Enjoy!**

Beth woke suddenly, the sun already well above the horizon. Daryl was softly snoring in her ear, and their arms were still wrapped around each other from the night before. The birds outside had begun their morning chorus, but beyond that, she could hear the distant murmur of commotion. As much as she hated to wake him, knowing he needed every wink of sleep he could get, she gently brushed the hair out of Daryl's eyes before nudging him awake, softly calling his name.

He woke with a start, muttering a string of select profanities and rubbing his eye with the heel of his hand.

"I'm sorry, Daryl," she apologized, already missing the closeness they'd shared the night before. "I heard something from over by the tents, but it just sounds like everyone else is up and moving already." They dressed quickly, then walked together to join the rest of the group to find out what was going on.

Despite her situation, being cut off from her family, as well as the loss of Dale the night before, Beth felt a twinge of happiness rush through her when Daryl's hand found hers. Though he never said a word, she guessed the gesture was both a thank you for being a source of comfort last night and a reassurance that he was there with her, a promise that he'd take care of her. She gently squeezed back, silently telling him that she had his back just as he had hers, though in very different ways. They were in this together, so they might as well make the best of it when they could.

Her heart gave a tiny flutter when she realized she was learning to read his silent cues, a sign of how truly close they were becoming. At least, how close she thought they were becoming. Maybe she was reading too much into it.

It turned out that Beth had been right - the group was already hard at work packing what little they had into the cars and trucks. Rick explained that, because of what happened the night before, knowing that walkers were now making their way onto the farm, they were no longer safe sleeping outside in tents, even with someone keeping watch. According to him, Hershel was gracious enough to allow the group to stay in the farm house, especially now that autumn had truly settled in, leaving the nights to grow colder and colder.

Beth's heart soared. Her father was welcoming her back. Granted it was because he was making accommodations for the group and she happened to be part of that group. Still, it was something. At least...she hoped he included her and Daryl in that group…

Rick asked if he could talk to Daryl privately, then mentioned to Beth that Lori had some leftover breakfast she was welcome to if she wanted any. Beth smiled gratefully then let her fingertips trail down Daryl's arm as they parted ways. Before she could take a step, Daryl grabbed her wrist and leaned in to whisper to her, instructing her to stay with Lori and Carl until he got back.

As she approached the Grimes' tent, Lori smiled up at her and asked if she was hungry at all. Although her near-constant nausea kept her from having much of an appetite, she knew she needed to eat something, so she smiled shyly and nodded. As she ate, Lori asked how she was feeling and offered any advice or help Beth might need. "I know it's scary, especially now, but we'll get you through this." Beth took her sincerity to heart and felt a slight relief in knowing it wasn't just her and Daryl against the world. This group of survivors were becoming her family when her own turned her away.

The thought made her breakfast go down just a little easier.

When Daryl returned, Beth offered him some of the leftover breakfast and sat with him as he ate. Just by looking at him, she knew his conversation with Rick hadn't been a pleasant one. Once Daryl had finished his meager meal, she took his plate from him to take to the wash bin. When she turned around, she was surprised to see him standing just behind her.

"'M gonna be gone for a while. Couple hours or so. You stick with Lori, you hear?" His tone left no room for discussion, but Beth was definitely curious.

"What's going on? Where are you going?"

Daryl sighed and looked down at his boots, kicking a clump of dirt. "Rick wants me to go with him to take care of Randall. We're leaving in a little while. He's checkin' on Carl now, talkin' ta yer ol' man."

Beth swallowed the dryness out of her throat. Were they just going to kill him in cold blood? "I guess I'll start packing up our stuff again," she mentioned to him. He looked at her in confusion, so she explained, "Looks like Daddy is letting everyone stay in the house until it's time to leave because of...last night," she ended weakly.

Daryl snorted, "Doubt that includes me. He ain't gonna want the redneck who knocked up his little princess under his roof."

Beth frowned at that. Daryl had a point, one she hadn't even considered in her excitement to be in her home again with her family. Come to think of it, no one had said specifically that she was included, she'd just assumed. Her father had seemed pretty adamant that she was no longer welcome in his house. She was with Daryl now, for good or bad, like it or not. Beth took a deep breath and steeled herself, "Well, I can at least move some things to the bike, just in case. It'll at least give me something to do. Everyone else is busy moving."

Daryl nodded, "Just keep yer eyes and ears open and make sure ya got yer knife on ya." Beth nodded in response, which was met by a nod of his own. "Shouldn't be gone too long," he muttered around the corner of his thumbnail which had somehow found its way to his mouth. "Oughta be okay if ya stay in the tent."

Without a second thought, Beth reached out to lay a hand on his bicep. "You be careful, okay?" She smiled when his eyes finally met hers and he gave another small nod. She gave one more light squeeze and hadn't quite turned to walk back to their tent when she paused, looked up at him, and stood on her tiptoes to peck a quick kiss to his lips. Before he could say a word, she turned and quickly walked away, a blush covering her cheeks.

Where had that come from?

Beth set to work packing what she could into the side compartments of Daryl's motorcycle. When that was finished, she went back to the camp, which by that time was nearly disassembled, save for Shane's tent. She asked Lori, who answered, with a sorrowful expression, that her father made it clear that Shane wasn't welcome in the house with everyone else.

Beth was thrown for a loop. She had always known her father to be a kind-hearted man, always willing to help those in need. He had always believed in the power of forgiveness. Had Shane's outbursts and actions at the barn been what had hardened Hershel's heart? Yes, he had gone against her father's wishes to stay away from the barn, had exposed not only his secret but his naivete in regards to the walkers. She supposed that was enough to truly anger Hershel Greene.

If that were the case, was there any hope for her to ever get back in his good graces?

Beth returned to their tent, thankful she had the forethought to grab her favorite book from her room when she'd packed. Lost in her fantasy world, she was startled when she heard the sound of running footsteps coming closer and closer. She froze, unsure if she should go to see who was approaching or wait for them to come to her, even if it meant she'd be cornered in the confines of the small tent.

"Beth!" Daryl's voice called out, winded from running.

She poked her head outside. "Daryl? What's wrong? Are you okay?" She met him just outside the zippered opening.

"The kid's gone. Goin' out to look for 'im. Ain't safe fer you out here," he rattled off in between pants, trying to catch his breath. "Need to stay closer to the house. Stick with Lori til I get back. Andrea. Someone, but you stick to them like glue, you hear me?"

Beth mutely nodded, her heart pounding in her chest. Daryl stood there for a moment, staring at her, a recognizable heat in his eyes. If it weren't for the situation they were facing, Beth could almost imagine it to be a romantic moment, the two of them standing together at sunset, pulses racing, unable to take their eyes off each other. Suddenly he stepped in closer to her, planting a rough kiss against her lips. Before she could react, he pulled away, taking her hand in his and pulling her to his bike, both of them riding back to the house.

When Daryl went to search the woods with Glenn, Beth stayed on the front porch of the farm house. She couldn't exactly stick to someone like glue the way Daryl wanted; everyone was busy unpacking and resituating furniture to make room for everyone moving in. She didn't want to get in the way, and figured she wasn't exactly welcome in her father's house anymore, anyway. Instead, she stayed on the porch swing, hoping someone would start preparing a meal soon. Normally, Daryl would make sure they had something to eat, but he'd been more than a little busy. Surely someone would notice her and offer her a plate of food.

Her stomach had been rumbling for a while, waves of nausea running through her off and on when Patricia came out the front door with a plate of food. The older woman, who had been like a second mother to her, smiled softly at her as she sat on the swing beside her. "Thought you could use some dinner."

The two sat in near silence as Beth ate, reminding herself to go slow or her stomach would just force everything back up. Bits and pieces of conversation floated through the windows; it seemed most were concerned about Randall going missing, while others were still expressing their gratitude to Hershel's for letting them all stay in his house. Beth took long slow breaths to keep herself from crying once again. She hoped Daryl returned soon so they could both go back to his tent where she wouldn't have constant reminders of how she was no longer welcome in her childhood home. She gave a watery thanks to Patricia when she'd finished and her friend took her now empty plate back inside.

The sky grew dark in the early autumn evening, and there was still no sign of any of the men returning. Beth had an awful feeling down deep inside her that something awful was about to happen, but there wasn't much she could do about it. Instead she stayed on the porch until she couldn't take the chill in the air anymore. She slipped into the front entryway and found nearly everyone that was left gathered in the parlor. Beth lingered in the hallway, not wanting to draw attention to herself, and debated sneaking upstairs to her room to grab more things.

She had just turned to walk down the hall when Glenn and Daryl came in through the door. She met his eyes for a brief moment while Glenn started explaining that they'd found Randall, but he had died and turned already. Daryl broke eye contact with Beth to confirm Randall's body hadn't been bitten or scratched, but that the boy had died of a broken neck. Amid the confusion of this new development, someone wondered out loud where Rick and Shane could be. Beth stayed frozen in her spot in the hallway as Daryl and several others went to the porch to start looking for either of the missing men. She watched as Daryl took a cautious step into the yard, peering into the darkness and followed where he was looking. There was movement just out of sight, like the haze of a watery mirage dancing above the asphalt on a hot summer day.

"It's a herd," someone called out, though Beth couldn't tell who it was over the thundering of her pulse ringing in her ears.

Others rushed inside, grabbing any guns they could find. Daryl just shook his head. "Ain't gonna be able to hold them off. Herd that size would tear through the whole house."

"So, what do we do?" Andrea asked.

"Gotta lead 'em away. Kill the lights in the house, use the cars to spread 'em out and get 'em pointed back toward the highway," Daryl ordered and Beth watched in amazement as everyone followed his instructions. Her breath caught when he approached her, wrapping each of her upper arms in his firm grasp. "You stay inside. Don't get cornered, don't get stranded."

"Why can't I go with you?" she pleaded, not wanting to be left behind.

"Don't want you out there. Can't be worrying 'bout you fallin' off the bike in the dark with those fuckers on my tail." He squeezed her arms again, bending so he was eye-level with her. "You be smart. I'll find you."

And with that, he was gone.

.oOo.

Daryl tried directing the other drivers where to go to cut the herd in sections, stopping when he could to take out as many walkers as he could to give himself a little more wiggle room between them. Others' gunshots were sounding from all over the property, which could be good or bad. It was damn near impossible to see if his plan was working in the moonlight.

He wondered who had set the barn on fire and wished he could tell everyone to stop firing, stop driving, and just let the damn things walk right into the blaze. Instead, with all the commotion going around the farm, the walkers ended up being corralled rather than scattered. He realized he was the furthest out, that everyone else was staying in the main field not far from the house. One by one, he watched as each of the cars started making their way away from the farm, and he was relieved that they'd finally gotten a clue and followed his lead, only to realize they were all just driving away, abandoning ship.

And he had no idea if Beth had made it out. She was a smart girl, but if everyone was out to save their own, had she been left behind?

He scoured the herd for an opening to make his way back to the house to make sure, hoping against hope that he'd be able to find her, when he heard a scream come from not far off. He revved his bike's engine and took off toward the source of the sound only to see Carol running weakly, nearly falling down with each step, as a group of the dead were chasing her. He stopped several feet in front of her, not wanting to get too close to the walkers to make sure he could get them both away safely, yelling at her that he didn't have all day. She certainly wasn't his main concern, but he knew he couldn't just leave her there.

Beth wouldn't want him to.

An icy cold fear gripped him from the inside when he thought of Beth being all alone as he drove away with the older woman clinging to him for dear life. He'd promised Beth he'd find her, that he'd take care of her. Why the hell couldn't he have taken her with him? Then he'd at least know…

But now there was no way to get back to look for her. The herd had been worked into a frenzy and were swarming around the property like a hive of hornets looking for the idiot who'd disturbed their nest with a rock.

He began to accept the idea that she may well be long gone. Part of him was relieved, for a couple of reasons, but something heavy sat in his heart at the thought of her dying. She was so good, so trusting of him, and now her faith in him might have gotten her killed. He'd actually begun to care about her, and now he'd gone and lost her...and it was all his fault. He'd broken his word to protect her by trying to save everyone else. He'd done just as her family had, just passed her over while pretending like he was some kind of fucking hero.

Unless maybe she did make it after all...

He was still mentally beating himself up as he followed whatever paths he could find through the woods and back toward the highway. They'd never agreed on any kind of meeting place if the farmhouse was no longer safe, but he figured the car they'd left for Sophia was a good enough spot to start. A pair of tail lights swerving along the road ahead of him told him at least one other person had the same thought.

Within minutes, he was pulling up to find the rest of the group gathered exactly where he'd predicted, all greeting each other with relief, but there were still several missing. He had yet to see Shane, Andrea, the scrawny farmboy and Otis' old lady…

...and most importantly, Beth. He quickly scanned the group, checking and rechecking for her as Carol climbed off the back of his bike before he engaged the kickstand, a panicked fear clutching his heart when he didn't immediately find her standing with everyone else. He walked closer, unsure of what he would do if his worst suspicions were correct, when he finally saw her long, blonde ponytail peeking out from behind the beat up old blue pickup that T-Dog had been driving.

Her arms were wrapped around her middle, head hung so low her chin was on her chest; she supported herself against the bed of the truck. She looked up, eyes red-rimmed and glassy with tears, when she heard his breath rush out of his lungs. He could barely move and yet couldn't move fast enough to get to her; his usually steady tread faltered at the sight of her, whole and intact...and alone. She closed the distance between them, throwing herself against him and wrapping her slender arms around his waist, pulling herself tightly to him, fear and relief evident in her hold.

A swell of anger and one of relief battled their way through him. This girl, woman, had come to actually mean something to him, had worked her way into his heart in some capacity in just a few short weeks, and there was what was left of her family, her own flesh and blood, just standing, holding each other, ignoring her. Daryl glared at her father, who appeared to be a good man to all others but in reality could be lumped into the same group as his own considering how he treated his youngest child. The old man looked over the top of his oldest daughter's head and only blinked at the two of them. He made no motion to see if Beth was alright, made no inquiries as to how she had survived.

What a horse's ass.

Gently, Daryl pushed Beth away to get a good look at her and noticed blood covering most of her arm and the front of her denim jacket, not to mention the exhausted look on her ashen face. "Shit, Beth, you bit?!" alarm clearly evident in his voice. Christ if she was...it would entirely be on him.

Beth looked up at him, confusion in her eyes, then looked down at herself in the early morning light. After a moment that lasted entirely too long, she shook her head, "It's not me...it must be...oh my God I shouldn't have let her go." Her breath was coming quicker now as a wave of panic washed over her features.

"Who, Beth?" Daryl pushed for an explanation, pulling her jacket away from her to make sure the blood was only on the outside of the garment.

"Patricia," Beth started to sob. "We were with Lori and Patricia was behind me and...they...she wouldn't let go and…" she trailed off as she fell back into his arms, her body wracked with sobs.

Daryl was in completely uncharted territory. Sure, Beth had been depending on him for survival, but this touchy-feely emotional shit was out of his league. Not knowing what else to do, he gently wrapped one arm around her shoulders and let his other hand cup her elbow before sliding up her arm and around her back. They both stood there, taking comfort in each other, leaving the rest of the group to debate and decide what to do next.

As far as he was concerned, they could all go straight to hell. He and Beth would probably be better off without them.

At least until the baby came. Daryl didn't have clue one as to how to take care of a kid, and Beth would only be going off what she read in the book she got. And that was just through the pregnancy. What was he supposed to do when it came time to have the kid? A whole new fear trickled down his spine. His shoulders slumped when he realized she needed more than he could give her.

As if that was really any kind of surprise.

The other members of the group began piling into the few remaining vehicles and started a caravan down the highway. Slowly, almost reluctantly, Beth and Daryl climbed onto his motorcycle. He turned to talk over his shoulder before starting the engine, knowing he'd be able to catch up easily. "We goin' with 'em or what?" He'd let her choose and would go along with whatever she wanted. Girl didn't get many choices lately, so he figured it was the least he could do.

When she nodded, he nodded back, started the engine, and took off.

 **A little shorter than usual, but if I didn't stop it here, I wouldn't be able to update for...who knows how long.**

 **Thank you for reading - please take a moment and leave a review!**


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